


The World is at my Fingertips

by Lord_Orange



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, BAMF Bilbo, Drama, Explicit Language, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Multi, Pre-Slash, Slow Burn, Thieves and Finances, Thorin is a horrible boss, Unresolved Sexual Tension, to Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 03:51:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 70,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2413958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Orange/pseuds/Lord_Orange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo Baggins used to be one of the most successful thieves of his time, but after some years he longs for a cosy home, regular meals and a safe occupation. He ends up as Thorin Oakenshield’s personal assistant, which feels more like working for the devil himself, but it’s a step in the right direction, isn’t it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> My first story in the Hobbit-verse, I hope you have as much fun reading it as I have writing it!  
> No promises on a regular update, but I swear, I'll try my best.  
> Comments are welcome - as always. 
> 
> Disclaimer:  
> Nothing belongs to me (sadly), I just borrowed it ;)
> 
> Music:  
> \- Maria Taylor / Masterplan  
> \- Aimee Mann / Disappeared

The night was cold and so very dark. The flames that devoured the house felt like tiny needles on his skin, pierced through his very soul.

He would never know why the fire had started, nor would he know if his parents would ever be proudof what became of him as he grew up.

Some nights he lay awake, feeling the burning of the flames. It was as if he could taste the ash and hear the cracking of the old wood again. Most nights though, he tried to sleep through his pain and loss. He was alone in a world that was too big for someone as small as him.

How can a child manage in a world that is so cruel without a mother’s love or a father’s protection?

The day William “Bilbo” Baggins’ parents died, was the day that his childhood ended. He was 8 years old and utterly alone on the world. His next of kin wasn’t interested in him and he hardly knew them anyway. Without parents, a family or any money, his only chance to live was learning to survive on his own as fast as possible.

The night his parents died he was so scared and confused that he bolted as soon as he heard the sirens of the fire brigade in the distance. His face was caked with grime and most of his clothes were torn, but in his haste he hardly noticed anything.

Some nights, Bilbo wondered what would have happened with him, had he stayed and waited. Foster care or something, probably.

During the years that followed he lived on the streets of London, since it was easier as a stray to survive in a big city, where nobody cares and sees.

After so much time alone and forgotten it had been a bittersweet moment when he met the man he only had ever known as Smaug.

Bilbo had been hungry but hadn’t been bold enough to steal from any of the shops. So he had tried to pickpocket someone, without much bravado. That day he had learned what a ludicrous idea it was to steal from a thief.

The tall and dark man took him in and gave him a place where he could belong, not quite a home, but a start.

Smaug taught him, how important education was, especially for a thief. So Bilbo went to school and attended university after that, because only a solid persona could build a double life. During the day he sat through lectures, met friends and worked in a little café where he learned how to cook and brew a decent cup of tea. But as soon as it grew dark, he was in Smaug’s world and learned how to climb walls without climbing gear, faking IDs and how to plan a cue.

While he worked on his degrees in English Literature and Business Studies, Interpol worked on his profile. Neither Smaug nor he ever got caught, but since most of their cues had involved prestigious objects the authorities couldn’t ignore their actions.  
On one occasion Bilbo had left some muddy boot prints behind and with the following day the media had started to nickname him _The Hobbit_. (Having a solid size 14 had made him feel a tad awkward as a teen, but even big feet had their perks.)  
Not all of his thefts could be related to one another, which made it even harder to catch them. But after a while Bilbo started to leave a demonstrative boot print behind as some sort of trademark, as evidence of his capability.  
Smaug would just call it _mocking_ but never stopped him.

With Smaug he was a very successful thief, together they mastered stealing several art works up to jewels or on some rare occasion even valuable information and data. Bilbo never knew what happened with the things they took; he just accepted the payment Smaug wired on his account after each cue.

But in the end Bilbo had to run again. Staying with the man would lead not only to an early death but also to heartache. So he made a decision and told the other man about it after their latest job.

With Smaug he had spent most of his years away from England, they had travelled the world due to their ‘trade’. Not only had Bilbo learned how to pickpocket someone successfully but everything that came with being a master thief.

Part of him was proud to be skilled. He loved the thrill that came with his job and enjoyed the power he felt each time he climbed up the face of a building instead of using a door. But his other half wished for a cosy home and regular meals.

He wished for a normal life, for security. And he knew that Smaug would never provide those things. So Bilbo had left. He had bid the other man farewell, no hard feelings involved, and he was convinced that he could leave it all behind, that he owed nothing to anyone.


	2. Catgroove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo meets old friends and makes doe eyes at his new boss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh well, what can I say.  
> If you find any mistakes - I do apologize! (I'm editing the whole thing on my own...so...just...sorry)
> 
> Music:  
> \- White rabbit / Temporary  
> \- Barcelona / Slipping away  
> \- Said the Whale / I love you

Since Thorin Oakenshield had returned to London to take up the CEO post of Durin Finances after his father had died, there had always been a vacant job position.

The position wasn’t necessarily in accounting or purchasing, considering that it was policy to recruit only the best of the best and they tended to stay with them.

No, the position that was vacant most of the time was the post as personal assistant of Thorin Oakenshield himself. It wasn’t the odd hours one would have to work and it certainly was not the payment, but working for the CEO had its _ups and downs_. Just as Thorin’s moods had its ups and downs.

He wasn’t a groping barbarian or a nasty alcoholic, but he was – nicely put- a very demanding person. It could happen that a cup became airborne if the coffee had milk or _god forbid_ sugar in it. He wouldn’t even aim _directly_ at the person who dared to commit such a felony, just their _general_ direction.

Besides Thorin didn’t always throw things at people, sometimes he’d just made them cry with his blunt rather roughish manners.

Be that as it may, Thorin had always believed that the job of a personal assistant was an easy one. Every dim-witted person should be able to take care of secretary duties or fix a stiff drink, but apparently all the good personnel in London was unavailable or had already left the country for good.

Seriously, it couldn’t be too hard to comply with his orders. It was quite easy, wasn’t it?  
If he wanted his clothes pressed, one would better rush off to the dry-cleaner and deliver them 30-something seconds later. Or in the rare case that Thorin actually wanted to eat something – mainly around 3 in the morning- one would better get him that club sandwich from the deli half across town within the hour.

So all in all, it was a vast riddle why the job was mainly unoccupied.

 

......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

Knowing all this already, Ori felt bad for suggesting the job to Bilbo. They used to be really good friends at university as they sat through most of their economic lectures together. Both Ori and Bilbo had taken advantage of the fact, that English was spoken almost everywhere and had met during their first semester abroad.

Having found the only other Englishman in all of Boston had forged a strong bond right from the beginning, and their friendship seemed to be made for eternity as they declared their mutual love for tea.

However he hadn’t seen much of Bilbo lately. After their graduation, Ori had moved back to England to start a job and Bilbo, well, Bilbo had vanished somehow.

Right now he was just glad, that he could sit in one of London’s many coffee shops to enjoy a nice cuppa with his old friend.

Bilbo had contacted him two weeks prior and asked for a meeting, claiming that he had missed Ori dearly during the last few years. And since he was coming back to London for good he felt like he needed his friend by his side again.

Ori found that he was more than happy to meet Bilbo again and it seemed that their friendship had taken no damage due to the separation. Quite the opposite, actually.

Bilbo had entertained him for the last 20 minutes with descriptions of India where he had spent a couple of weeks in the past year.

As he described the Holi festival he had taken part in, Ori sighed and wished – not for the first time- that he could travel a bit more. After he had finished university he hadn’t been out of the country again.

He toyed with his scarf and listened to Bilbo’s stories, a small smile on his lips.

“What about you, Ori?” Bilbo asked quietly as he leaned forward to grab his cup once more. “I’ve been talking for the last half hour…you must be utterly bored by now” The ginger man smiled.

“Haven’t had time after graduation- the job is pushing it. B-but I don’t want…I mean, I don’t want nag about it. It’s a great place to work and most people are really nice.” Ori really liked his job and the payment that came with it. But sometimes it was really challenging, not because of the work per se. The main reason was probably his boss. Originally he was supposed to be Dwalin Fundinson’s protégé, but after time went by, he was not only his apprentice, but his secretary, personal assistant, ghost-writer and coffee-boy as well.

He wasn’t complaining, though. Dwalin was a feast for the eyes, freely with his sexual advances and fantastic company if one could overlook some subtle flaws.

One of Dwalin’s less subtle flaws was the fact that he was a philanderer and a very successful one at that. Ori couldn’t remember how many times he had seen with different partners. Male or female wasn’t of importance, as long as they could hold Dwalin’s attention for a few moments.

Every time he was thinking about Dwalin he felt a little bang in his chest. He was head over heels for that man since the day they had met. Which had been 3 years ago and his dry-spell was beginning to look really sad.

Anyway, Ori really wanted to work with Bilbo, or at least at the same firm. Having someone really nice around to go and have lunch with, or a beer after work, would be fantastic.

Bilbo ordered some scones for them to share and another cup of tea.

“Oh well, I’m really looking forward to work with you again. Thanks again, for suggesting it. It’ll be nice starting and already knowing someone!”

And on they went, telling each other bits and bobs from their past years and sharing funny graduation moments.

“So, Ori” Bilbo started, fishing for a sinister look. “How’s the love life?” Ori only groaned in replay.

“Yeah, I know, I hate that question too…but come on! You used to be so shy at university and look at you now! The must line up to get you!” Bilbo exclaimed dramatically.

Ori huffed. “Sure. You used to be funny, Bilbo!”

“Come on, come on, _come on!_ ”

“Well, there is this one guy-“

“Knew it!”

“Oh shut up, will you?” Ori felt red heat creeping up his cheeks. “As I was saying…that guy…yeah, well, he-he’s kind of my boss.” The blond man finished with a lame stutter.

Bilbo started to smile wickedly. “Fantastic, so I’ll meet him on Monday! It’s getting better by the minute!”

“Oh God, no! No, no, _no! Bilbo!_ I’m not sure if he knows that I exist…I mean…at l-least in a sexual manner…”

“Ah, we’ll see about that! Really, can’t wait!”

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

On Monday Bilbo rushed in the tube only to be squeezing into one of the cars. While he leant against the door he let his eyes stroll around, only to find a guy from the other side looking back at him.

He was…tall to say the least. Bilbo guessed that the bloke must be around 6 feet something. He had thick black hair, with a hint of silver in it, the most gorgeous stubbles Bilbo had ever seen and had stunning blue eyes.

The car juddered slightly and a gangly teen was pressed against the handsome guy. The teen looked up at him in annoyance. “What are you going for, mate? Tall, dark and handsome?” He asked insolently.

Before Thorin could grace that little shit with an answer, Bilbo snickered and answered. “Well, it definitely works for me!” He shot the tall guy a winning look and smiled.

After that his cheeks got a rosy colour and he had to duck out of sight. _So much for boldness_

Luckily he had to get off at the next stop anyway.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo…...

As soon as the nice lady from reception had shown him the way to his future boss-to-be Bilbo wanted nothing more than to turn around and run.

Not only would he be working for the handsome guy he awkwardly had flirted with on his way to work, but his boss seemed to remember him as well. _Well, aren’t the gods a cruel folk_

Bilbo entered the office and was greeted by another handsome bloke who sat opposite of Thorin Oakenshield and seemed to feel quite at home. As he turned his head slightly he saw Ori standing there, smiling at Bilbo.

Bilbo glanced back at the bald guy who was sitting in front of the desk. It took him only a few seconds to make the connection. _Oh!_

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

It was by sheer serendipity that Ori was present when Bilbo had his first day in the job.

Ori was standing in the far corner of the room and shuffled nervously with his feet. Thorin was in a mood again and so far it wasn’t looking good.

They had made it through introductions without any incident, but Dwalin was looking at Bilbo like he was a piece of meat and Thorin glared daggers at everything that was breathing.

“Alright then, Boggins-“

“It’s Baggins, sir.” Bilbo interrupted softly.

Thorin glared at him for a moment before he continued. “Anyway, I want you to work through those files on your desk. Mark the ones that are important for today and file the others away. You also need to reschedule today’s board-meeting, since I’ll have lunch with an acquaintance during that time. Reschedule the meeting with the Lonely Mountain Group – “

“What would you like me to tell them as a reason?” Bilbo interrupted again.

This time Thorin glared for longer and snarled at the small man. “Try not to interrupt while I’m talking, will you now? As I was saying reschedule the meeting…”  
And so he went on for quite a while, giving Bilbo an incredible amount of tasks.

During Thorin’s rant took some notes and tried his best not to speak again. He had woken with a very bad feeling this morning, which he couldn’t get rid of – even not through his secret second breakfast.  
The tube incident had made it only worse.

His boss-to-be seemed to be done with dealing orders and tasks. “Will that be all, Mr. Oakenshield?” Instead of an answer, Thorin waved dismissively at him and resumed his conversation with Dwalin.

Bilbo straightened his back, smiled and left the room, winking at Ori as he went. _Let’s get this over with!_

......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

“…piece of ass!”

“Pardon?” Thorin asked as he pried his eyes away from his leaving assistant.

“Your new PA has a fine piece of ass, don’t you think?” Dwalin asked again with a broad grin.  
“Really wanna know how long _this_ one is gonna last!” He exclaimed.

Thorin only grunted as a reply. “It’s not my fault if HR(*) only sends rubbish. Those dyed, dim-witted doe-eyed dolls are simply not fit for the job.”

Dwalin laughed at that, Ori felt weak at the sound. “Well, before you toss him back again, at least bend him over your desk, will ya?”

The black haired man shot him a dirty look and sighed in defeat. “Just…get out! Really!”

Dwalin got up, and waved lazily at Ori to follow him out, still grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

 _Poor Bilbo_ Ori thought and wondered if he should invite said man over for a drink tonight.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

A few hours later, as Thorin got himself ready for his business lunch, he heard a soft knock on his door. Growling low in his throat he straightened his tie. He wasn’t expecting someone _must be that new guy._

“Come!”

The door opened and Bilbo slipped in a soft smile on his lips.

“Sorry, Sir, but I came to let you know, that I have finished the tasks.”

That took Thorin by surprise and he glanced at his watch. “Already?”

Bilbo took that as a clue to list his accomplishments of the day.

“…The VIP names of the gala for next week?”

“I’ve summarised the details for you – it’s already on your desk.” He continued before Thorin could interrupt. “I also memorized their faces, names and whatever else there was to know.”

_Oh come ON! You can’t be THAT good….I’m sure you’ve missed something!_

“The meeting with Lonley Mou-“

“Resceduled to next week, I told them one of the handling accountants was on a leave of absence this week.”

Looking around in his office he noticed something. Or rather the absence of something.

“Ha! The dry-cleaning!” Thorin exclaimed winningly. Bilbo offered another smile. “Your dry-cleaning would be in your flat, Sir. I thought it would make more sense to deliver it for you, than to have you bring it back home yourself.”

Stunned into silence for a moment Thorin tried to recover. _That boy’s good!_

“How did you get in?”

“Well, I told the concierge who I was and whom I was working for, so he helped me quite willingly, Sir” Bilbo answered mildly.

The small man walked over to his coatrack and grabbed his coat. Whilst helping Thorin putting it on, he asked. “Would there be anything else, Sir, or should I just start reviewing this week’s schedule and list your appointments for tomorrow?”

Bilbo had walked with him to the elevators and Thorin grumbled with dismay. “Yeah, you do that.” He finally answered absent-minded.

The PA smiled at him again. “Then I’ll see you later. Enjoy your lunch, Sir”

With that the elevator doors closed and Thorin had to lean against the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) HR: Human resources ... just in case someone didn't know :)
> 
> Yay!  
> You made it until the end ;)  
> I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	3. Slip and Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Bilbo and the obstacles of his new job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> Rilo Kiley / Portions for Foxes  
> Parov Stelar / Hurt

During the first week of his employment at Durin Finances Bilbo had found himself a decent flat in the north of London. Due to his former occupation he would have been able to get a flat in one of the posh areas of London, but he figured that it would look suspicious if a personal assistant would live across Hide Park or somewhere in the south of the city.

He was happy with his new home, even if it took him a while to get back into the city centre or to his new work. On the bright side, Ori lived close by, which meant that they could spend more time together to make up for the years they hadn’t seen each other.

As for now, said friend was leaning on the window sill in his living room and talked to Dwalin Fundinson on the phone.

Bilbo huffed and curled his lips in annoyance. That poor boy was listening to Dwalins rants about numbers and deals for the better part of an hour now and Ori obviously couldn’t let go. Crush or not, in their line of work it was important to take a break now and then.

“Yes…yes…sure. Of course. See you on Monday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.” Ori finally ended the call and came to join Bilbo in the kitchen.

“Honestly, Ori! On a Saturday?” Bilbo asked as he pushed a cuppa into Ori’s hands.

“Oh don’t get me started! A phone call on the weekend is harmless. There was this one time when he stood at my apartment door at 5 o’clock in the morning and told me I would need to pack, because we had to go to a congress in Switzerland!”

They were interrupted as Bilbo’s mobile suddenly chirped loudly. Bilbo raised an eyebrow in confusion. _Who’d call me on a Saturday?_

As soon as he saw the number on the display he had to swallow. _Oh dear Lord, I forgot something…_

“H-hello?”

“Biggins!” Thorin’s roar made even Ori flinch who stood several paces away.

“Baggins, Sir. What can I do for you?”

“The cake!” The man pronounced the word as if he was talking to a stupid person.

“What cake, Sir?” Bilbo asked dreadfully, whilst wracking his brain – then it hit him. He stumbled over his own words as he rushed to speak.

“Yes, the cake, Sir! I’m on my way to the bakery now. I...“ He glanced at his watch – how in earth should he get there in less than twenty minutes?

Thorin had disconnected the call without another word.

“Ahm” Bilbo starred dumbfounded at his phone.

Ori shot him an expecting look “Well?”

“Ahm” he started again. “I need to….I need to go and get something…” Ori grinned at him. “On a Saturday?” He exclaimed over-dramatically.

“Oh shut up” Bilbo said and reached for his keys.   
“See you later!” Ori waved as Bilbo left the flat. Ori felt quite content with staying in his friends flat. He had brought a book and he would never waste a cup of tea. So he settled into Bilbo’s worn leather chair and started to read.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

London on a Saturday was simply horrible. Shoppers, tourists, stressed mothers with small children, hung-over teens everywhere. Bilbo had actually managed to get to the bakery in time to pick up the ordered birthday cake for one of Thorin’s nephews.

As Bilbo stumbled into the small café/bakery he was greeted by a heavenly smell that made his mouth water. He swallowed heavily as he made his way over to the counter. Behind the counter stood a strongly build middle aged man with furious red hair.

The petite ginger waved shyly at the big man in front of him. “Hi..ahm..I’m here to pick up a cake. The order is on the name Oakenshield, I guess.” As soon as he mentioned the name of his boss, the baker flashed a broad smile.

“Sure, laddie, no problem.” He extended one of his huge hands and offered it to Bilbo. The mall man took it and saw his hand disappear into the huge paw of a hand. “The name is Bombur” The baker said and keenly shook Bilbo’s hand. “Hi, I’m Bilbo!”

“How about a nice cuppa while you wait?” Bombur suggested. Bilbo nodded happily at that and leaned against the counter, prepared to wait.

It didn’t take long to get the cake ready and wrapped up, and since Bilbo had a few minutes to spare he decided to finish his tea and chat with Bombur.

At the end of their conversation, Bilbo promised to be back soon to try one of Bombur’s new pastry invention. Leaving with a much better mood, Bilbo waved his goodbye and made his way to the next bus stop.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

Checking the address twice, Bilbo braced himself as he knocked. The door belonged to a beautiful house in Knightsbridge surrounded by other little posh houses and neatly trimmed trees. The PA felt a tad intimidated by the idea that such a house could only belonged to someone who was used to have power and money.

After a moment the door opened and Bilbo was looking at a tall, dark haired and beautiful woman. Her dress and posture screamed authority and good upbringing, but her eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Yes?” Her voice was like honey, warm and rich. “Ahm…well…I-I’m.” Bilbo stopped and huffed in annoyance before he started again. “My name is Bilbo Baggins, I have a delivery for Mr. Oakensh-“ Dís interrupted and clasped her hands in delight.

“Of course, you’re his new PA!”

Without further ado the woman pulled Bilbo through the door and shoved him in the hallway.

Once back inside the house the woman shouted for Thorin, who appeard only a few seconds later with Dwalin following close behind.

Finding himself at a loss of words, Bilbo simply held out the parcel that held the desired cake. The woman reached for it with her left hand and offered her right hand to Bilbo. “I’m Dís, Thorin’s sister. It’s nice to meet you officially, Mr. Baggins.”

She smiled at Bilbo as he took her and shook it. “It’s a pleasure, to meet you too, Ma’am!”

Dís let go of his hand and turned to her brother. “See? I told you he’d be on time, you old oaf!” Thorin only glared at her, but followed her out of the hallway, as she left.

“So he made it through the first week?” He could hear Dís say as they walked away. Thorin growled his response that made Dís laugh.

Bilbo turned to Dwalin who still stood in the hallway with him and snickered.

“She likes you” Dwalin commented, leaning against the door frame. “I…what?”  
“Dís is working for our office overseas. Normally she travels between New York and Hong Kong throughout the week. No idea how she handles the jetlag.”

“You’re telling me that this woman is the rainmaker of the US office?” Dwalin only nodded.   
“I’ve heard some of the American’s talking about her, they’re scared shitless of her…pardon my language!”

“Yeah, that’s Dís alright.” Dwalin grinned wickedly.

“But..she seems really nice.”

“Don’t cross her, if you do, you probably won’t live to tell the tale.”

“Are you talking about momma?” A tiny voice asked from across the hallway.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

It was only 10 minutes later that Dís and Thorin found Bilbo lying on the floor, Fili sitting on his back and Kili in front of him. They were laughing together as Bilbo drew something for them on a piece of paper.

“That’s the wrong colour, Mr. Buggy!”

“It’s Baaaaggins, stupid head!” Kili glared at his older brother. “I’m not stupid! I’m the smart one”

Fili ignored the rants of his baby brother and glanced over Bilbo’s shoulder. “Yep, that’s the wrong colour!”

Bilbo smiled “Then pass me the blue, will you?”

Thorin was about to comment as his sister pulled him back out of the room forcefully.

“Wha-!”

“Shh! That’s the first time today they don’t cry, shout, run around or try to kill each other! Let me have this moment!”

Both of them glanced back in the room where the siblings still climbed on Bilbo’s back while the PA followed the drawing instructions with his good-natured attitude.

“What’s that supposed to be, Mr. Buggy?” Kili asked pointing at something on the piece of paper.

“That’s a moose” Bilbo deadpanned. Fili looked over again and frowned. “But it looks like a dog with antlers! So it’s a…a moog! Or a dogoose!”

Bilbo snickered. “But it’s a nice dogoose, don’t worry!” Kili interrupted, prepared to defend Bilbo’s honour. “Can you do a unicorn giraffe, too, Mr Boggy? Pretty please?”

Smiling broadly Bilbo grabbed the box with crayons and searched for some colours. “Sure!”

Unseen by his nephews and his PA Thorin stayed where he was and leaned against the door frame. Watching Bilbo interact with the boys made Thorin feel something warm inside of him. The first week of their work relationship had been challenging ever since Thorin had laid eyes on Bilbo during the tube ride.

The soft ginger curls, the creamy skin and that beautiful shy smile of his new assistant were almost too much to bear for Thorin. He had caught himself staring at the younger man quite a lot during the past week.

Of course, Bilbo was utterly beautiful, but that wasn’t the only reason Thorin found himself fascinated with the man. He seemed so genuine and consistent with his surroundings, no matter where he was or what he was doing. Watching Bilbo play with his nephews made him happy somehow. The PA hardly new the boys and yet they were laughing and fooling around with each other as if they had known each other for years.

If he was honest with himself, Thorin had to admit, that he admired Bilbo’s attitude and respected him for his wits already. They had been bickering with each other the whole week but Bilbo hadn’t backed off once and had stood his ground, what had come as a nice surprise.

So far it seemed as if he had found a worthy assistant _and maybe something more_ – a small voice in the back of his head supplied unhelpfully.

He glanced over one last time and smiled softly, before he turned and joined his sister in the kitchen.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

“Is Mr. Baggins coming back?” The siblings asked in unison as Bilbo reached the door.   
The party guests had arrived and it was beginning to get really loud. Bilbo couldn’t remember when he last had seen so many children in one place. Fili and Kili seemed to be entertained as most of their friends arrived, so Bilbo thought it would be a perfect time to leave and enjoy the rest of his Saturday.

He had said goodbye to the boys, but on his way to the door he had run into Dís and Thorin again. Bilbo blushed as he saw his boss and tried to brush of some imaginary crumbs and dust from his trousers.

Dís watched Bilbo with a fond expression. “Will you be coming back, Mr. Baggins?” She asked the PA but looked straight at her brother. Bilbo looked at Thorin with rosy cheeks and tousled hair. “Ahm…” He started.

The CEO regarded him with a stern look. “He’ll return if I need him to!” With that Thorin turned around and stalked out of the hallway. Dís and Bilbo watched him go. “Looks like you managed to get employed after one week, Mr. Baggins.”

Bilbo had no idea how to respond to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reading the chapter again made me realise that I made a bit of an old sap of Thorin…sorry, but I regret nothing. Most of the time, he is a lovable git anyway.
> 
> I hope you had fun.   
> I'll gladly read your suggestions, reviews and conspiracy theories! ;)


	4. Head is not my home Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first business trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm, well, this chapter good a bit out of hand and was way longer than intended, so I had to make it into two pieces. I’ll try to edit and upload the second part of the chapter ASAP.   
> Enjoy reading!
> 
> Music:  
> \- Jason Walker / Down  
> \- Florence and the Machine / Hardest of Hearts  
> \- Sara Bareilles / Fairy tale

_Inner monologue_  
//text  
<<flashback>>

 

......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo......

 

It was Sunday evening and Bilbo had just settled in his comfy leather chair with a full glass of wine as his mobile rung. The PA groaned loudly unable to hide his annoyance. His Saturday had been busy and stressful thanks to Thorin and his aggravating demeanour. All he had wanted was a peaceful Sunday before the madness started again on Monday morning.

He reached for his phone and prayed that it was someone else and not his annoyingly handsome but sulkily boss. All he wanted to do was to finish the delicious red wine and go to bed early.

Bilbo didn’t even bother to look at the display of his phone. No one should ever be allowed to call at this ungodly hour anyway. Whoever dared to disturb him on a Sunday night deserved his wrath.

“It’s Sunday evening; I’m about to read my book, relax with my glass of wine and think about fluffy baby unicorns, who the hell is this?” He snarled.

For a moment there was silence, then. “This would be your boss.”

_Well, shit…_

Bilbo cleared his throat and hoped his loathing wouldn’t be too prominent in his voice. “Well in that case, what can I do for you, Sir?” He could almost hear Thorin gloat on the other end of the line.

“I need you to be at Heathrow in two hours.”

“Ahm, may I ask, why, Sir?”

“There was a change of plans. I need to settle things in the New York office and you’re coming with me.”

Bilbo groaned inwardly. It was still his first week and it had been challenging enough already.

“Do you need me to book tickets, Sir?” He asked dutifully.

“No, that’s already taken care of. Just be there on time!” Bilbo nodded, without realising that the other man wouldn’t see his gesture.

He was about to hang up as Thorin spoke up again barely hiding the devilish amusement in his voice. “Baggins, one last thing…do you really think about baby unicorns?”   
“Sure but only the fluffy ones.” Bilbo groaned. “I’ll see you at the airport, Sir.” He finished lamely and Thorin only chuckled before hanging up. _I’ll never hear the end of that one._

The PA dropped the phone somewhere on the table and leaned back in his char. He had less than 15 minutes to pack if he wanted to make it on time to the airport and yet he didn’t feel like moving at all.

Thinking about his next week he grabbed for his mobile again. Not there was someone he actually needed to tell his whereabouts, but he had some appointments that he needed to cancel.

_//Rrain check on that lunch tomorrow – B_

_//Why? – O_

_//Going to New York tonight…_

_//What? Why?_

_//I don’t know and I don’t care. I have no time and I don’t know what to put in my suitcase and where my suitcase is._

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

A bus ride, two tubes and one cab later Bilbo finally managed to enter the Airport, clutching at his suitcase’s handle. During the bus ride he had realised that Thorin hadn’t told him the terminal, or the flight company, only the destination. He wasn’t complaining, but Heathrow was huge and it would probably take him for ages to find his boss.

Just as he was prepared to start crying out of sheer frustration he heard his phone’s text alert. The Gods obviously had a kind moment, because the text had been from Thorin telling Bilbo exactly where to go.

The kind moment was over as soon as Bilbo had managed to find his boss. Thorin had kept him on his toes right until departure.

First he had to fight with the CEO’s luggage, which was not only heavy but bulky too and made Bilbo course colourfully the whole way to the check-in.

After that Thorin made him run some errands. Coffee (black, no sugar), the newspaper (Financial Times) and oddly enough a bunch of grapes, were only a few of his demands.

It was after midnight as they could finally board their plane. Bilbo was in a state of exhaustion and wished he could only sit down.

One of the stewardesses had shown them to their seats, apparently first class. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise for Bilbo. Their seats were right next to each other and Thorin urged him to take the seat by the window before he slipped inside his own seat.

The CEO pulled some folders and his notebook out of his briefcase before he turned back to Bilbo.

“Baggins, I need you to – “  
There was soft snoring from the chair next to him, his assistant had soundly fallen asleep.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

Bilbo awoke around 3 o’clock in the morning. His body was aching from the odd position he had been sleeping in.

The plane was almost silent and was only lit by some scattered over-head lamps. As he looked out of the window he couldn’t see anything but darkness and his own reflection. They must be right in the middle of the Atlantic.

Suddenly he felt a cold breeze coming from the air conditioning over his head. He could recall that the cold had bothered him as soon as he had sat down but now his body felt oddly warm. Bilbo moved his hand a few inches and could feel a crisp material beneath his fingertips.

Odd cloth for a blanket but he was glad for the warmth that it provided.

For a moment Bilbo considered his options: drifting off into oblivion again, or checking on his boss for, well, for professional reasons.   
The PA craned his neck to have a glance at his boss, wondering if the CEO was still working or if he’d be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a sleeping Thorin.

His eyes needed a moment to focus in the twilight of the plane, but as soon as he could see properly, Bilbo realised that Thorin was wide awake and had been watching him the whole time.

He wanted to say something, tell the other man that he was sorry that he had fallen asleep but was stunned into silence as Thorin smiled at him.

A faint smell reached his nose and it took him a moment to identify it. It was Thorin’s aftershave, he was certain of that, but he couldn’t grasp why his blanket smelled like his boss. He glimpsed at his boss again only to realise that his blanket was nothing else but Thorin’s jacket.

He lifted his gaze to look into Thorin’s eyes, searching for an answer, but his boss’ low voice interrupted him.

“Go back to sleep, Bilbo.” The petite ginger smiled as a reply and decided that he would just enjoy the situation as it was for now and drifted back into his slumber again.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

Their first day in New York had been horrible. Hailing a cab to the city centre had proven to be nearly impossible if not for Thorin’s angry intervention. Bilbo was still mumbling excuses as they loaded their bags in the trunk of the car.

Due to his lack of sleep, Thorin had been cranky and in a foul mood right from the start. The whole issue from the New Yorker office hadn’t done anything to lighten the CEO’s mood in the slightest. Bilbo was sure that some mugs would become airborne before the day was over.

After endless meetings, fountains of coffee and a lot of coaxing Thorin finally went for dinner with some of his business acquaintances.

The dinner had left Bilbo with at least 4 hours of free time and he decided to make them count. The last time he had been in New York had been 4 years ago.

_< <It had been for a job, so he hadn’t had much time for sightseeing, since he was expected to help planning the cue. _

_The objective of the job had been a couple of paintings, some from the MET and some from an auction storage room, ready for transport._

_Of course the paintings or at least the originals had never made it to their intended destination. The Klimt had been taken directly from the auction along with several other pieces._

_The Monet, though, was taken from the museum by Bilbo himself. He remembered creeping through the dimly lit corridors of the museum, avoiding guards and dodging cameras._

_He had disabled the motion detector during opening hours. Disguised as a tourist he had sprayed the infrared source with hairspray and the light sensor had been blinded with several layers of sellotape. He deemed himself lucky that they had waived the body-heat sensors. It would have been much harder to smuggle Styrofoam into the museum to trick this kind of sensor._

_Swapping the pictures had been tricky. He had to disable the silent alarm that was triggered in case someone removed the frame from its hook which wouldn’t have been too hard, if the frame hadn’t been so incredibly heavy._

_After he had finished he took one last approving look, picked up the storage tube that held the artwork and crept out the same way he had come from._

_Just before he had reached his exit point he had met an obstacle. One of the guards had gone off of his regular route to sneak out for a smoke._

_Being in a rush and taken aback Bilbo had climbed into one of the large deposit containers. A stupid hiding place as he realised mere seconds later, but improvising had never been his strong suit. He couldn’t observe his surroundings but he could at least hear noises from outside._

_He was forced to sit between old papers and banana peels, clutching at a piece of art that was worth several million dollars and had to wait for a guard to finish his fag. Ironic, really… >>_

Musing about the life he had left behind, Bilbo took a stroll through Central Park and enjoyed the city that was so different from London.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

On the next morning, Thorin had found him in the dining hall, digging into his well-deserved breakfast and had ordered him to go and pick up his dry-cleaning. He told his assistant to take it back to his hotel suite and take some files and his briefcase down with him on his way back.

Annoyed with the interruption of his breakfast Bilbo had made his way to the laundry cursing under his breath and glaring at innocent people.

As Bilbo entered Thorin’s hotel suit he instantly realised two things. Firstly, the room was one of the nicest hotel rooms he had ever seen and was much bigger than his own – which wasn’t surprising. The second thing was that the room wasn’t as empty as he would have expected it to be.

Considering Thorin’s behaviour at breakfast, Bilbo had deemed the room empty, not occupied by an over-night guest. For the first time he glanced down at the dry-cleaning that dangled from his fingers on a hook. A pair of jeans, a shirt and a jumper, nothing of it in Thorin’s size or style.

_That son of a bitch!_

The man who occupied Thorin’s bed was slimly built and roughly about Bilbo’s age. He had soft creamy skin and a mob of unruly curls in a soft gingery brown on his head. But it wasn’t until later that Bilbo came to see certain similarities.

Since Bilbo just stood there in silence the young man took his chance and waved awkwardly. “Mornin’” He slurred, voice thick with fatigue and accent. The PA composed himself and forced a smile. “Good morning.” He eyed the clothes again. “It seems that I have your clothes pressed and ready for you.”

The young man chuckled. “So you’re the cliché PA then?”

“So it would seem, yes.” Bilbo walked over but didn’t dare to cross the threshold to the bedroom. He hung the clothes on the door nodded and turned around, looking for Thorin’s files.

_Please don’t talk to me_

“So…” Bilbo groaned softly but didn’t turn around again. He could hear rustling and assumed that the other man was about dressing himself.

“What else do you do for your boss, other than get the dry-cleaning?”

Bilbo, who had finally found the desired files, straightened his back and turned with a smug expression on his face.

“Take out the trash!”

“Excuse me?”

The PA hadn’t expected the state of undress of the other man and felt heat rushing into his head. He did his best to keep his expression stern and his tone as flat as possible.

“You’ll find the door to the hallway on your left. I recommend you use it in the near future. Good morning!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's not nice to let it end here...but yeah, can't help it. :D  
> Oh well, well, well, what else is there to say?  
> I do apologise for any mistakes (still editing on my own T.T), if something’s wrong, please let me know!  
> Comments, reviews, questions…everything is welcome. Let me know what you think!


	5. Head is not my Home Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally a bit more about Ori and Dwalin this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised the second part of 'Head is not my Home'. It might not be the most active chapter, but as I said before, it would have been too long otherwise.  
> Enough from me have fun reading!
> 
> Music:  
> KT Tunstall / Hold on  
> Florence and the Machine / Dog days are over  
> The Editors / Formaldehyde  
> London Grammar / Nightcall

He had fled the room with as much dignity as he could muster in a situation like this. Inside the lift he leaned against one of the walls and concentrated on his breathing.

Never had he felt so awkward in his whole life, but the other guy had seemed perfectly fine with the situation. _Americans…!_ Bilbo thought with disgust.

The ride down was quite long, so when the PA reached the lobby he had calmed himself. He decided that he would never ever mention the incident to Thorin even though he was convinced that the CEO had done it on purpose.

 _Sure, who wants to deal with their one night stand on the next morning?_ The PA mused as he made his way back to the dining room. _  
_It was aggravating to do other peoples dirty work, but in the end that was exactly what he had signed up for.

On his way down he just hoped that what-ever his name was had a horrible walk of shame and would feel at least a little awkward just for decency’s sake.

Back in the dining room, he found Thorin sitting at his old table finishing his coffee and reading the newspaper.

He walked over and put the files on the table and the suitcase on the floor next to Thorin. Bilbo leaned forward slightly into the other man’s personal space.  
“The car is waiting outside. Ready when you are, Sir!”

Thorin didn’t even bother to look up from his newspaper and nodded, before dismissing Bilbo with a lazy wave of his hand.

Ignoring the rudeness of his employer the PA went to get himself another cup of tea and to text his friend.

//I can’t believe it! He made me toss out his fling from last night! – B

It took mere seconds for Ori to reply.

//I can’t believe you don’t know what time you’re texting me!!!

Well, it was 8 o’clock local time, which meant that it was … _oh crap!_ Due to the 5 hours’ time difference he had texted Ori at 3 in the morning. Not that he felt particularly bad for waking his friend, but he decided to let the poor man go back to sleep.

He poured a generous amount of milk in his tea and leaned against the counter, taking in the whole room. Reconnoitre his surroundings, was an old habit he couldn’t force out of his system. So he tried to act oblivious to the old lady who put the silverware in her purse.

He chose to ignore the count of possible exits from the room or the number of CCTV cameras, too. But what he couldn’t overlook was the fact, that his boss was observing him over the edge of his newspaper.

Being aware of his bosses’ attention he winked at him and smiled politely. Feeling like he he had been caught red-handed, Thorin straightened his newspaper again and disappeared behind it.

After a few minutes Thorin finally gave up pretending to read the paper, got up and walked over. His assistant greeted him with a smirk and put his cup down. “You are utterly annoying, you know that?” The CEO snarled before he gestured Bilbo to get his briefcase and follow him.

As he caught up with Thorin again in the lobby he flashed his boss a grin. “I’m just a necessary nuisance, Sir.” The CEO snorted and made his way to the waiting car outside.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

Ori wished for nothing more than his bed, or that he could just put his head on the desk in front of him and sleep. After Bilbo’s text he hadn’t been able to go back to sleep, not even after hours of excessive wanking.

His cheeks still burned bright red every time he recalled his nightly activities. Heating his mood with imaginary images of his boss hadn’t been the best idea in the end. Now, every time Dwalin called his name or caught Ori’s attention otherwise, the young man would blush furiously, or would knock something over.

The last time Dwalin had called for him, he had knocked over his tea cup, which wouldn’t have been too bad if his laptop hadn’t been in the way. Most of his colleagues had watched him knowingly as he had made his way to the elevator with his dripping wet laptop tucked under his arm.

Spending the past hour at IT Ori was glad to be back at his desk again, but not for long. The moment he had sat down, Dwalin had peeked out of his office and gave him a look over. He disappeared into his office again only to reappear seconds later with his coat and briefcase.

Dwalin made his way over to Ori’s desk and smiled his wolfish grin. “Get your coat, pup, we’re leaving!”

His protégé hadn’t even had time to raise one of his elegant eyebrows before Dwalin had picked up his bag and walked towards the elevator.

“Dwalin, wait! Where are we going?” He caught up with his boss in front of the elevators, coat in his hands.

“You’re looking like shit today, so I’ll take you for a drink!” Dwalin exclaimed in his booming voice, that Ori was sure the whole department must have heard him.

“That’s nice, but I just had a rough night and want to go home.” Truth to be told, he badly wanted to get home, drown himself in the bottle of Italian red wine Bilbo had left him the other night and pretend that this day had never happened.

Dwalin’s face split into a Cheshire Cat smile! “Ha! Finally!” He roared.

Ori cringed with shame. “N-not that kind of rough night.”

When the elevator doors Dwalin pulled him inside with him, still grinning. “Stop frowning, we’re going for a drink. I’ll be your wing-man and you’ll get laid tonight!”

Ori just gaped at the other man, panic rising in his chest.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

He shouldn’t have come with Dwalin, or to work, hell, leaving his bed this morning had been a horrible idea. From a certain point of view it was almost endearing how Dwalin tried to be his wingman.

For obvious reasons he hadn’t told Dwalin about his type, not even the roughish bear man was dense enough to miss the connections.

To be fair, Dwalin was an excellent wing-man. He flirted with everything that had a heartbeat and collected an immense amount of numbers. Ori on the other hand mainly remained glued to his chair, watch the tall man swaying through the room and clutched to his drink. There was no use in being jealous, it wouldn’t change anything.

Dwalin was on a pedestal and so unbelievably far out of reach that the thought alone made Ori ache. In order to keep himself out of trouble and to avoid to make a total arse out of himself, Ori did the only reasonable thing: He started to get utterly wasted.

In all fairness, the petit blond was a lightweight when it came to alcohol, so it didn’t take long for him to drink past his usual limit. So when Dwalin finally suggested leaving, Ori was just happy, that he could walk without stumbling over his own feet.

One look at his protégé was enough for Dwalin to decide that the young man needed a lift to his apartment; otherwise he’d probably never see his cute face again. Together they walked to Dwalin’s car and Ori used the small rest of his willpower to walk straight and not giving in to the urge to get down on all fours and crawl.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

The moment Ori had managed to climb into the blasted car he had propped his head against the window on his side. He stared out of it and watched as the world passed them by. Ori had always loved London by night. The scattered lights were beautiful and the city seemed so full of content as soon as it grew dark

Dwalin glanced at the younger man from the corner of his eye. The boy was hammered and he was surprised how he had still been able to walk in a straight line when they had left the pub. Something was clearly wrong with his protégé and he had made it his mission to find out.

This was the exact thing, Ori had dreaded the whole evening. Dwalin pulled out of the parking lot and Ori had no chance of escape. The older man started to ask questions and in his momentary state, answering questions wasn’t a great idea.

“So tell me, pup, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing, really.”

“Come on, tell me. Is it heart ache?”

“I-I…No! No I’m fine!”

“So it is heart ache. Someone from work?”

“Shut up, please?”

“Is it Thorin’s new assistant? The one you suggested?”

His insides were pinching and suddenly he felt sick, really sick. “Stop!” He said with an alarming pitch in his voice.

Dwalin shot him an apologetic look. “Ok, ok, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to get personal!” The older man started to defend himself.

Ori felt like his insides were trying to turn inside out and had to supress a groan. “No! I mean, stop the car!”

Dwalin immediately pulled over and brought the car to a halt. Ori stumbled out just to make it a few paces further before he was sick on the pavement. Ori wouldn’t complain, though. Being sick in a car that was worth more than the building he lived in would have been catastrophic.

He sat down on the pavement and wished that his boss would just drive away and save them both from the embarrassment.

Ori could feel his cheeks burn with shame. _Great way to make an arse of myself._ Suddenly he could hear heavy steps coming closer and then Dwalin was sitting next to him. He put one of his muscular arms around Ori’s shoulders and pulled the younger man closer.

Grateful for the newfound heat-source, Ori obliged the pull and huddled against the other man.

“Well aren’t you a dapper little fellow, Ori?” He rumbled with his deep voice, full of smugness. “You should take better care of yourself!”  
Ori snorted. “You’re one to talk.”

Dwalin didn’t say anything after that and neither did Ori. They just sat there in silence both lost in their own thoughts.

After what seemed like hours Dwalin broke their silence again. “Come on, little one, I’ll take you home.” Ori nodded and slipped out of Dwalin’s embrace.

The older man regarded him with a look he couldn’t decipher but Ori decided to ignore it. Dawlin helped him to get up and led him back to the car.

The rest of the car ride passed in silence but it didn’t end as Ori had always dreamed it would be: Dwalin brought him to his door but that was it. No longing looks or cheesy good-night kisses. All he got was a pat on the back and a broad grin. Dwalin waved his goodbye and reminded him that fluids were important to overcome a hang-over and then jumped into his car.

Ori fumbled with his keys before he could manage to pry the door open. As soon as he squeezed into his flat he kicked the door shut behind him and leaned against it.

His head was way too heavy and he felt dizzy. Ori slid down to sit on the floor. He propped his back against the door and put his head on his knees. What a disaster. The whole day had been a mess from start to finish.

He wanted to tell Dwalin about his thoughts and feelings so badly but even after 3 years he couldn’t work up the courage to do so. On the other hand, every time he tried to ignore his feelings and move on it had ended in farrago.

He moaned feeling sick again. _I just want this to stop!_

Not trusting his legs he just crawled into his bathroom and left his briefcase, shoes and jacket scattered in the hallway.

Ori reached the loo and curled himself around it on the floor. From where he was standing it looked like he would spend the night on his bathroom floor.

The cool tiles helped him to clear his head and to calm him down a bit. A few hours ago he had cursed Bilbo for interrupting his sleep, but right now he would give his left arm to talk to the man.

The young accountant just wished he had someone he could talk to right now. He just felt so lonely and the sickness in his stomach only made matters worse. Hopefully Bilbo would be back soon, Ori was sure that his old fried would help him to get out of the mess that was his love live.

Having Bilbo back in his live had made Ori were happy, considering that he had missed his friend dearly. True, it was just a week, but Ori had already gotten used to having his friend around him again.

He sighed heavily, used his arms as a pillow for his head and drifted off into oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel Ori’s pain, I really do. Nothing is worse than ending up on your bathroom floor. :D


	6. Sparrow and the Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to New York comes to an end
> 
> Music:   
> \- Delta Rae / New Day (acoustic)  
> \- Luke Sital-Singh / Bottled up tight  
> \- Hozier / Angel of Small Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: I’m so incredibly happy about all the lovely comments and kudos and whatnot. Thanks for reading, liking, commenting…it’s amazing!  
> As for the massive gap/delay…my apologies…I’m terribly busy at the moment and have hardly time to write and edit. Sorry!

The leaves on the trees were mostly in a brilliant shade of red and the sky was a crisp blue. Being the early riser that he was, Bilbo had some minutes to spare and enjoy the Indian Summer in New York. With his boss still asleep he had time to walk a short distance through Central Park before his morning routine with Thorin began.

Luckily the CEO hadn’t brought in any more over-night guests, after the one on their first morning in New York much to Bilbo’s delight. The experience a few days ago had been enough for him and he wasn’t feeling like repeating the incident any time soon.

He looked up at the clear sky and hoped – not for the first time – that he could simply keep his new live. Thorin might not be the easiest man to be around and work for, but being back in London and spending time with Ori was like heaven for Bilbo. The lack of thrill and fear was still quite unsettling for the young PA, but time would take care of that too.

The dried leaves made soft crunching noises beneath his shoes as he made his little round through the park. New York was never quiet for obvious reasons but at this time of the day the city seemed to be almost at ease. Only a few joggers and early birds crossed Bilbo’s path as he enjoyed the fresh autumn air.

After he had bought himself a cup of tea at a small coffee shop he sat down by the lake and kept watching the people around him. As he watched the joggers he mused about his own training. Bilbo had never been one for sports, but he had been training nevertheless, considering that in his line of work, fitness and agility had been essential.

For a brief moment Bilbo considered starting regular exercise again but decided that doing Thorin’s errands was a close call to training anyway. There was no need to outrun the police or climbing buildings anymore. Of course he enjoyed stealing glances at the toned body of his boss, but having as much muscle as Thorin simply wouldn’t suit him.

Annoyed with himself he realised that he was thinking about his boss again.

He leaned back on the park bench and sighed deeply. The PA dreaded the flight back home already. Being in closed confinements with Thorin for the better part of 7 hours was nothing he was looking forward to.

Ever since that morning a few days ago, Bilbo had caught his boss staring at him with an odd expression on his face. Was he expecting some sort of reaction from Bilbo, or was he simply testing him? Not that Bilbo would mind to return the attention, but his instincts got the better of him.

The real question was as clear as it was simple: _Am I attracted to my boss?_ The answer was hanging in the air by a thin and breakable thread. Bilbo new that the answer would be a dangerous one and that it would change so much if he ever chose to act accordingly.

Indulging in a proper relationship had never been an option in his previous life. Maintaining a believable façade in front of a lover proved to be hard work and was close to impossible. How could one be close to someone, if honesty wasn’t really an option?

Maybe if he ignored his feelings, they’d simply vanish? Right now his attraction to Thorin was more a physical thing than a proper love interest. The man looked gorgeous, obviously, but was he really relationship material? Bilbo couldn’t be sure, if his crush on Thorin was something worth working and fighting for, or if it was just a passing fancy.

Frankly, he hardly knew the man, so he should just wait and watch for the time being. For the first time in his life he had the luxury of taking his time and simply observe.

Mulling over his options and possibility he didn’t notice the time passing, so when he finally glanced at his watch, he realised that he was really late. Bilbo jumped from the bench, threw his cup in one of the bins and rushed back to the hotel.

As he reached the lobby, he was more or less running through it, towards the elevators. Just as he was on his way to his floor, the PA had an awful revelation. He was rummaging through his pockets as he had to realise that he was missing his key-card, so when he stood in front of his hotel suite he found the door locked, whilst his key-card was safely inside the room.

Bilbo groaned in annoyance and banged his head softly on the door. The morning had started so well and now this!

He had only 5 minutes left to spare and he needed to get inside his room to get himself decent. Definitely not enough time to ride down to the lobby again to get through the whole procedure of getting a new key-card to his room.

Checking the corridor for other hotel guests, he fumbled for his wallet and fished an unused plastic card out of its pockets.

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him as he pressed the card between the lock and the doorframe. It took a while to fit in properly and he begun to move it up and down carefully. A few tries and less than 30 seconds later he had successfully broken into his own hotel suit.   
  
He stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. It seemed that, no matter how hard he tried to leave his past life behind, it kept creeping back at him through small things.

This little break-in was probably only the beginning but right now he hadn’t got time to brood over things he couldn’t change. Bilbo shrugged it off and walked into the bathroom to get decent.

Before he left this time he remembered to pick up his key-card and put it safely away inside his pocket. His jacket in his hand he closed the door behind him and walked towards Thorin’s suite.

No more breaking in or picking pockets in the future, he promised himself.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

_> > Thorin closed his eyes shut and placed his hand to cover Bilbo’s cheek. The young assistant watched him from beneath long eyelashes with a faint blush on his face. In this moment he wanted nothing more than to kiss his assistant and ravish his mouth. Those sweet pink lips looked delicious and inviting. _

_The smaller man tilted his head slightly and brought his face closer to Thorin’s. He could feel his assistant’s breath on his face, could almost taste the other man. He inched closer too, but waited agonizing long seconds for Bilbo to make the first step, to close the distance, just to be sure._

_As Bilbo finally kissed him, their hands found each other’s body, both clinging to each other, not wanting to let go. The PA kissed Thorin passionately, his fingers running through his black hair as his boss pushed him on the closest surface._

_Bilbo gasped for breath when Thorin pulled away after what seemed for ages._

_His kisses were fierce but gentle, causing Bilbo to grip his hair tight and moaning wantonly. Thorin growled deeply before going back to ravish his mouth again and again._

_There was no talking, just soft moans, taste and smell. Long and slender fingers were carefully fumbling with his fly before they slipped inside of his pants. He moaned deeply as Bilbo’s hand touched his flesh and bit down on his assistant’s shoulder._

_A few drops of pre-cum had already leaked from his erection and Bilbo used his thumb to stroke his head and smear some of the pre-cum around. His hand slid up and down in a slow but steady rhythm that drove Thorin insane. <<_

A sudden knock at the door made Thorin jolt awake. In his drowsy state he realised two things. First, he just had his first wet dreams in years and second, the reason for said wet dream was currently knocking at his door.

The CEO peered at the tent in his shorts in horror. This whole situation was utterly inadequate. The fact that his deemed new assistant so very attractive was as ridiculous as it was bothersome. His one-off with the guy on Monday night had been embarrassing and uncalled for. He was more than aware of the fact that it had been in no way fair to Bilbo to handle the aftermath, but he couldn’t have helped it.

The flight had been horrible to him and his imagination and after watching Bilbo slumber the only thing that had kept him from jumping his assistant had been to jump somebody else. Truth to be told, since the moment Bilbo had walked into his office a week before he had been a goner.

Besides his good looks, his new assistant had guts and was witty as hell. In just a few days he had managed it to impress Thorin several times with his incredible presence of mind and his talent to execute every nearly impossible task the CEO threw at him.

Thorin didn’t believe in love at first sight but Bilbo had been a very close call to that. He was … something else.

The petit ginger never lost his calm and was polite as a proper Englishman. Not even Dwalin’s roguish manners could falter the young man’s attitude.

He glanced at his mobile and groaned in frustration. Not only had he overslept but the reason for his new sleeping habits and his adolescent dream was standing in front of his door.

“Sir?” He could hear Bilbo call from outside.

With a new found panic he realised that he still had a raging hard-on and that his assistant would walk into his room every second now. Thorin bolted out of the bed, grabbing a robe and putting the fabric in position to cover his front.

“I’m coming in now, Sir!” He could hear Bilbo shout before the door made a distinct clicking noise as it was opened.

Torn between the wish to see his pretty assistant before his shower and the fear of said assistant to seize his predicament he couldn’t move properly. Just as Bilbo entered his suite his modesty got the better of him and he rushed past his PA and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Next time you better be on time, Baggins!” He barked as the bathroom door was closing, hoping that his voice had an annoyed edge in it. _God, what a horrible way to start the day._

Right now he was really looking forward to their flight back this very evening. At least back home in London he was able to escape the petit blond after office hours.

As Thorin was stepping into the shower, Bilbo still stood glued to the spot where his boss had shoved him as he had made a beeline to the bathroom. He was damn sure he was beginning to imagining things. THE Thorin Oakenshield, head of Durin Finances, had not just rushed past him with a raging hard-on like a teenager.

Grinning like an idiot he leaned against the wall and grabbed his mobile. Feeling particularly dutiful he briefly called room service to order a small breakfast for his boss to the room as he bid his time, hoping to steal a glance at Thorin only clad in a towel. The day was getting better by the minute as it seemed.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo…

Night was falling quickly as Bilbo and Thorin made their way to the airport. The day had passed fairly quickly and without much ado. Deals had been made and everything was taken care of, so far the trip had been successful for business. All things considered, Thorin deemed the trip satisfactory; hence he allowed himself to lean back in the seat of the cab and enjoyed the feeling of contentment.

Their flight was scheduled for the late evening and they had left the office with enough time to spare. The New Yorker skyline was beautiful as they crossed Brooklyn Bridge and Bilbo kept staring out of the window, taking in the magnificent sight. The PA was looking forward to being back in London again. The city wasn’t as massy as New York was and he missed the polite nature of British people.

As he turned his head slightly, he found his boss watching him again. A blush started to creep on his cheeks but he didn’t comment on his boss’ behaviour. As of now their working relationship was fresh and strange already, he didn’t wish to jeopardise it.

Thorin kept watching him out of the corner of his eye, but neither of them spoke. The CEO seemed at ease for the first time in their young working relationship and Bilbo couldn’t help but thinking that a peaceful Thorin had even more appeal than a brooding one.

Moments later the cab stopped in front of the departure terminal of the airport. Bilbo more or less jumped out of the car and got their luggage, leaving it to his boss to pay for the ride. Musing about the CEO again wasn’t helping, so he tried his best to put at least a tiny distance between them – before they had to sit in close proximity for the next 7 hours.

As he put the last suitcase on the pavement, Thorin appeared by his side took his bags and made his way to the entrance without waiting for Bilbo. Over the last couple of days, the PA had learned to ignore the older man’s antics and didn’t take it personally anymore. He simply shrugged it off as he shouldered one of the bags and started to drag the rest of the luggage behind him.

When Bilbo finally caught up with him, Thorin was waiting next to the check-in counter. His PA was panting a bit, due to the bulky and heavy luggage

“After you dropped the luggage at the check-in, I want you to get some souvenirs for my nephew once we’re through security. Some corny American things should suffice.” Bilbo only nodded and made his way to the check-in counters, dragging their luggage behind him.

Never had Bilbo been happier to flash Thorin’s swanky prime customer card as he stood at the check-in desk. The fancy plastic card granted him special treatment in Thorin’s name and he got their tickets in record time. He made it back to his boss, feeling light as a feather without the heavy bags on his back. The next obstacle was already waiting for him.

Getting through the security check was more embarrassing than usual tonight. After the blasted detector had blared for a second time he had to strip out of his jacket, shoes and belt, while his boss made it through in one go and was now waiting for him impatiently.

Without his belt he had to clutch his trousers to keep them from slipping down as he waddled through the metal detector for the third time, while his boss stood on the other side. When he finally made it through security, he had tousled hair, his jacket was on backwards and his shoelaces were not tied while Thorin looked as dapper as ever.

“Is there anything you can actually do right?” His boss greeted him with an annoyed tone in his voice. Putting his jacket back on properly, Bilbo felt rather irritated. It couldn’t go on like this. He knelt down to tie his shoes, but glanced up to his boss.

“You know, I don’t need this job, but…” Bilbo acted braver than he really felt, hoping his bluff wouldn’t be detected. Thorin cocked an eyebrow, pushing him to go on.

“But the way I see it, you are in need of an assistant who can keep up with you.”

“Your point is?” The CEO growled with a low and dangerous voice. Bilbo got up again; his shoes tied and tried to straighten his hair a bit – unsuccessfully.

“My point is that you should keep me around and stop trying to drive me off. You won’t find someone better for the job.” They were both walking side by side to their gate and Thorin chuckled, he actually chuckled. Bilbo couldn’t help to smile softly at his boss. Smiling made the black haired man appear much younger and conjured adorable wrinkles around Thorin’s eyes.

“You’re definitely a bit full of yourself, Baggins! Now get yourself useful!” With that he left Bilbo’s side and made a beeline for the next coffee shop.

Bilbo watched him go and admired his backside only for a tiny bit before he went over to one of the duty-free shops to hunt for presents.

Rummaging through the third store he noticed a man in his late forties, who harassed one of the female shop assistants. They were talking in hushed voices and Bilbo wasn’t sure if he should intervene as the man suddenly grabbed the young woman.

Moving quickly the former thief made his way over to the pair and cleared his throat louder than necessary. The man’s head snapped in his direction and he fixated Bilbo angrily. The petit ginger looked at him with a sweet smile. “May I interrupt? I do have a question about those…ahm…figurines over there.” He asked the shop assistant.

The girl freed herself from the man and walked to the pointed spot with Bilbo trailing after her. “Thanks a lot” She smiled at him, happy to be rid of the ghastly man. “Anytime” Bilbo replied, grinning. “Now…could you recommend some souvenirs for two young boys?”

A few minutes later he had several things he deemed appropriate for Kíli and Fíli and made his way to the counter.

Standing in the queue he realised that Thorin hadn’t handed him some money as he normally did, musing about his options, Bilbo spotted the guy from before again. In the split of a second he decided to take a little revenge at the groper. He put down his shopping basket and made his way over.

Sneaking up behind the man he quickly pushed through beside him, shoving him slightly in the process. Whilst he apologised absentmindedly, he already had the other man’s wallet in his hand and made a beeline for the counter.

After he had paid he went back to the man, told him that he had just dropped his wallet and went off. He shouldn’t feel satisfied since he had broken the promise he had given to himself, but he couldn’t help but smile wickedly.

As he finally made his way back to his boss, a cup of tea was already waiting for him. Thorin greeted him with a small nod and took the bags Bilbo offered and went back to reading without checking the content. The PA slipped into the chair and sipped at his tea. “Is this a peace-offering?” Bilbo asked as he felt the hot liquid warm his body. The CEO didn’t look up from the paper he was reading. “It’s null and void if you keep talking!”

Leaning back in his chair he kept drinking his tea in silence, a soft smile on his lips. Thorin was still ignoring him, but maybe the flight back wouldn’t be as bad as he had anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well. It’s a bit longer than usual… see it as an excuse for the long wait :) The next chapter is almost finished, so hopefully I’ll be able to update the next one quite soon! Let me know what you think! Comments, suggestions, questions; everything is welcome!


	7. Among The Wildest Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello back, everyone!  
> This chapter was quite a bit of work, not sure why, but it took me ages!   
> The next chapter is finished as well, so I won’t take long to update again.  
> Anyway, enjoy reading it and thanks for staying with me!
> 
> Music:  
> The National/ Anyone’s Ghost  
> Laura Marling /My Manic and I   
> Mikky Ekko / Who are you really?   
> The Black Keys/ Gold on the Ceiling

London was beautiful especially in the rain. Some lights danced over the Thames and a faint trace of mist lay over the river. Bilbo had missed the peculiar beauty of the city. No matter how many cities he had seen and lived in, nowhere else had he ever felt quite at home than he did in London. The city called to him like a siren and he simply had to follow her call.

He had gotten off the bus a few stops earlier in order to walk to work this morning. Considering that he still had to struggle with a jetlag it had seemed like a good idea to get some fresh air and enjoy the sleepy city. Staying at home for the day to get back on track was sadly off the table. The young PA didn’t feel the need to challenge his freakishly hot boss so early on in their working-relationship. All he could do was clinging to a cup of coffee, pray that he wouldn’t be called in on the weekend and pretend to be professional and productive.

As Bilbo entered the building, Dwalin and Ori rushed passed him. The older man stormed agitated through the foyer and Ori trailed after him, offering Bilbo a small smile and a half-hearted wave.

The former thief raised his eyebrow in question and felt the notion to get after them and demand to know what was wrong with his friend. A nauseating wave of fatigue overcame him again and he thought better of it. In this state he craved for a strong coffee and to hide behind his desk.

He made his way to Thorin’s office, silently begging the gods that his boss wasn’t there already. By sheer serendipity he was greeted by silence as soon as the elevator doors slid open. Hastily he sorted through some manila folders scattered on his in-box and went to put them neatly on Thorin’s desk. After that he walked over to the coffee-maker and prepared some of the ghastly liquid for himself.

Bilbo had actually managed to prepare everything to his satisfaction before his boss stormed past him and threw his coat over Bilbo’s head, while he was still talking on his phone.

Before he could take offence in his boss’ rude behaviour he simply put the coat away and got himself another cup of coffee. _This is going to be a long day._ The young PA thought gloomily while he started his computer.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

How Thorin managed to stay awake and functional was beyond Bilbo.   
Apparently he ran on caffeine and volition; so far the man had consumed about 6 espressos and several cups of something he called coffee and Bilbo referred to as’ boot polish’. The young PA knew for a fact that the other man hadn’t been sleeping on the plane at all, but had rather worked on some papers.

Admittedly the dark haired man was a tad more capricious than usually but he maintained upright and in control. Bilbo only wished for half of his stamina while he fantasised about flat surfaces and a pillow. The level of endurance of the older man only emphasised his own fatigue.

During the slow morning hours the PA pointedly tried to ignore his boss, but he kept catching himself ogling the man. His broad shoulders and his deep, rich voice didn’t really help his cause. He could feel his own skin crawling if Thorin as much as glanced in his direction.

In order to keep himself from drooling he busied himself with the upcoming events of the day. It was exceptionally quiet for a Friday if his experience from the week prior was any indication to go by. Hopefully the weekend would be quiet too. He really was in need for tranquillity and distance from his boss. Perhaps he would curl up on his couch with a new book and strong tea, or maybe he would invite Ori over for dinner. Cooking had always helped to distract and raise his mood. If only he could be sure that Thorin wouldn’t call him in again.

Bilbo took a deep breath and braced himself for the next encounter with his boss. He grabbed the freshly printed schedule for today and yet another cup of coffee and entered Thorin’s office with a polite knock.

As he entered the room, the bane of his existence was talking on the phone again- frankly he was shouting- and the poor sod on the other end of the line had Bilbo’s sympathy. Quickly he placed the cup and the schedule on the spacious desk and made a bee line out of the office.

Not feeling like disturbing his boss by stepping into his field of view again anytime soon, Bilbo decided to sort through Thorin’s appointments for the week to come.

Maybe Ori would like to go to the pub tonight, he mused while he organised meetings, schedules and appointments. They hadn’t had time to catch up and he had just seen his friend briefly this morning, as the other man was trailing behind Dwalin. The petit blond had seemed rather miserable and hadn’t been smiling as he usually did.

Bilbo would text him later to invite the other man to a round of beers and self-pity.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

The morning went by quite uneventful very much to Bilbo’s delight. So far he had brought his boss beverages, folders and had taken notes for the week to come.

Apparently he was doing a good job at leaving the dark haired man to his own devices as said man released him with nothing more than a curt nod every time Bilbo had fulfilled a task.

Not feeling particularly talk-active himself the petit ginger felt relieved by their silent agreement. He was just about to get up to remind Thorin of his lunch appointment as Dis walked up to Bilbo’s working space.

The beautiful woman was accompanied by her two sons and greeted the assistant with a warm smile.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Baggins. I take the trip went well?”

Bilbo replied with a soft smile and shook her offered hand. “Yes, I guess it did, as far as I can tell.” He glanced at the door leading to Thorin’s office. “He is a bit…cranky today.”

Dis shrugged the comment off and laughed softly. “Don’t worry about it.” A brief moment of silence settled over them and Dis was watching Bilbo expectantly.

The PA glanced at the boys who had stayed quiet so far and cocked his eyebrow. Dis took the hint and groaned with annoyance.

“Oh I’m so sorry, Mr. Baggins, I meant to text you, but I forgot. There is some teacher thing today at their school, so I had to take them with me. Would it be too much to ask if you could take care of the boys for the next hour or so?”

Dis obviously felt quite uneasy so Bilbo quickly nodded his agreement.

He didn’t mind looking after the boys; their last meeting had been amiable. He was already fond of the kids as long as they didn’t try to set his desk on fire. Fili was already eyeing the piece of wood suspiciously.

Dis smiled at him gratefully and put the bag she was holding down next to Bilbo’s chair as she kissed her boys goodbye and went to the door.

As soon as she had closed it behind him, Bilbo found himself with Kili on his lap. Fili had climbed on his desk and inspected Bilbo’s pencil holder while his baby brother got comfortable in Bilbo’s lap.

After a few minutes of friendly chitchat both of them grew suspiciously quiet and started to exchange dubious glances. The PA was sure that they would come up with a ludicrous and dangerous idea sooner or later. He fished for the big Dís had left them as a courtesy and Bilbo assumed that it was filled to the brim with toys.

Kili spotted the deck of UNO cards before Bilbo and shouted in delight. His brother was equally fond of the game and both started begging Bilbo to play with them. Of course the young PA was more than happy to oblige.

Smiling contently he lifted Kili off his lap and Fili off the desk, took them both by the hand and went upstairs to the small but nice cafeteria.

Moments later the three of them sat at a table, Kili again on Bilbo’s lap, drinking hot cocoa and sharing biscuits that Bilbo had gotten them as a treat. Having texted Ori for backup, said man appeared mere minutes later, holding his own cup of cocoa and smiled sheepishly at Bilbo.

“Fili, Kili, say Hi to Ori! He’s a good friend of mine and a worthy UNO opponent.” Bilbo demanded and the boys greeted Ori politely. After the other man had taken his seat Fili tried to shuffle the cards before dealing them.

Several tries and some assistance from Ori later, Fili had finally managed to shuffle and deal the right amount of cards and so they began.

Kind as he was Ori obviously let the boys win most of the time and was happy enough to make last place. The boys fought hard and obeyed the rules without the typical tantrums one would expect.

 

They had played several rounds as Bilbo started to feel boredom creeping onto him. He wasn’t an impatient person nor didn’t he enjoy the time with the boys or Ori. Truth to be told, fatigue brought out his less nicer traits and right now he felt the need to provoke and boast.

The short period of familiarisation to a civil life had lacked adrenalin rushes and so far he hadn’t needed his brain as much as he had used to in the past few years. He was sure, that those impulses would cease in time, but for now he was prone to distraction.

It started so innocently that he didn’t even realise it himself at first. His hands seemed to work on their own accord, switching cards as he took over the shuffling duties. After a series of mean cards that had him drew several penalty cards he went over to make them disappear.

Aware that his audience consisted of two primary school pupils and a gifted accountant he made a show out of it, bound to get caught.

It took quite a while but Kili suddenly looked at Bilbo with suspicion. “Bilbo?” The small boy asked and tried to look as intimidating as his uncle.

“Yes, Kili?” Bilbo checked his hand and looked at the young boy on his lap.

“Bilbo, why are your cards disappearing?”

The ginger had to suppress a grin. “What do you mean?” He asked back innocently.

“Oh yes, I’ve seen it too!” Fili filed in. “You had ten cards but now you only have six!”

Ori smirked and took a sip from his cup. “Do you really need to cheat at UNO, Bilbo?”

“Cheating is against the law!” Kili exclaimed happily and Fili snickered.  
“It’s only against the law if you get caught.” Bilbo deadpanned.

“But it’s illegal!” Kili said in a sing-sang voice.

“Well, I’m certainly not cheating you are simply stealing my cards.” Bilbo shot back. The small boy looked at him in confusion. “Not true! I didn’t steal anything!” The little black head pouted at the accusation.

“But you did! Look, there is one behind your ear!” The PE replied and Kili’s hand shot up to touch his ear to check it. Obviously the small hand came back empty-handed and Bilbo chuckled. “Look.” He raised his own hand to Kili’s ear. It seemed as if he plucked a card out of thin air behind the small boy’s ear and held it out for the children to inspect it.

The boy’s eyes grew wide. “How did you do that?”

Bilbo wasn’t one for blatancy but he had always been proud of his abilities, especially his clever fingers. “Magic.” He stated before he made the card disappear between his fingers again.

“Oooh! Do it again, please!” The boys exclaimed in awe.

Their game was soon forgotten as Bilbo continued to make cards and other small things appear and disappear in his hands. Even Ori was watching him with glee.

A little while later Dís had come up too, to pick up the boys. Fili and Kili gave him each a bone-crushing hug before they left. Bilbo could almost hear them all the way out of the building as they told their mother about the card tricks.

Ori turned to Bilbo. “How did you do that?” Bilbo grinned at him “I told you: magic!” Ori chuckled.

“Seriously, it’s the same with your car keys! Look!” He clapped his hands together and suddenly held a pair of keys in his hand. “See? It’s like a disease! Every time I clap my hands or rub my fingers something appears – I can’t control it!” Bilbo exclaimed dramatically while throwing the keys at Ori.

“Show-off!” Ori laughed as they went back down again to get on with work.

As they walked down together in amicable silence Bilbo’s mind was already forming a proper plan to escape the boredom of his civil live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re at the end again.   
> At this point, I’d like to ask for your opinion. The story is more or less in one piece on my computer, but I had some ideas, and wrote them down purely for my own benefit and to satisfy my muse.   
> It’s basically a background story for Bilbo, his years with Smaug, and I was wondering if you’d like to have it in the story, since it’s too short to make it on its own.   
> I’m also contemplating to have Frodo introduced, but I’m not particularly sure yet. I’d love to know your opinion though, so let me know what you think!  
> Comments, declarations of undying love and questions are always welcome :)


	8. The Seer's Tower Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is some form of compensation for the long time it took me to update. Anyway, thank you all very much for your comments and feedback. You’re just lovely and I really appreciate it!
> 
> Music:
> 
> Emily and the Woods / Never play  
> Snow Patrol/ What if this storm ends?  
> Half Moon Run/ Need it  
> Half Moon Run / No more losing the war

A few weeks ago he had been convinced that his actions were ingenious and not a creepy pastime. Right now, crouching on a thick tree branch hidden by the foliage, he wasn’t so sure about it anymore.

It was an early evening on a Sunday and it was a particularly nice evening in Knightsbridge. Thorin’s apartment was in one of the dapper neighbourhoods of said borough and fairly close to his sister’s house too.

Bilbo’s plan had been quite simple in the beginning: observing his boss from afar, never getting too close. Avoid getting caught in order to bypass any notions of stalking. Ever since their trip to New York the PA was aware of his attraction to his boss, but found that it was to early in his new life to act on it.

It had started innocently enough. From his deliveries and errands he had already known Thorin’s home address, thus he never had to actually stalk the man on his way home.

At first he had only sat in a small coffee shop at the corner of the street and watched his boss going for a run or doing some shopping. Bilbo had been utterly surprised by the fact that Thorin took care of the grocery shopping on his own and didn’t send his PA to do it.

It had been fun at the beginning, sitting in the café, lurking in the shadows, simply being close to the other man after office hours. He had felt a thrill similar to the time when he had planned coups and spending his evenings on stake-outs.

But days became weeks and weeks became months and without realising it Bilbo’s crush became a full-blown infatuation. After a while he had to realise that the whole thing lacked the guerdon of a successful operation. The closer he got, the longer he peeked into Thorin’s private life the lonelier and frustrated he felt.

The other man had flings and dates but nothing serious had developed during the weeks that Bilbo had observed him from a safe distance. Bilbo had close to no idea about courting or dating someone. He had never been properly in love with someone before due to his former career.

Most of his knowledge was from novels or movies – apparently most love stories didn’t quite happen the way in reality as they did on screen.

Being a manqué romantic he couldn’t help but wondering about how a relationship with Thorin Oakenshield would be. Knowing the older man professionally he should be running for the hills. Nevertheless, Bilbo found himself utterly intrigued by the other man. In his phantasies the mercurial man was a tender and observant lover and boyfriend, fairly different from his real persona.

Watching romantic movies and reading sappy novels had manifested Bilbo’s belief in love and companionship, surely Thorin would be a lovable softy beneath his rough shell. There were nights when he almost believed his own phantasies. Watching the older man carry groceries for an elderly lady or seeing him taking care of his nephews showed Bilbo a whole new side of his boss.

Though, nothing of it ever remained as soon as the CEO stepped over the threshold of his company. At work Thorin was tremendously talented; he could balance enormous sums of money, deal with ghastly customers – as far as he was ever bothered to work with real people in person apart from shouting at them – and had the stunning ability to read the market like a book.

What the CEO lacked in social skills he could compensate through his financial dexterity. Bilbo couldn’t help to admire his boss’ handiwork and his ability to turn every calamity into an opportunity.

Yet, whenever he tried to forge some sort relationship with his boss his attempts came up fruitless. His admiration and infatuation for the CEO might be in vain at work, but whenever he had observed his boss’ flings he couldn’t help but noticing.   
He spotted several similarities between those Thorin took home and himself.

Apparently his physique had a certain appeal for Thorin but not enough for the other man to make some advances. And Bilbo himself was to shy and inexperienced to make a move either.

His crush on his boss infuriated Bilbo more than anything else because it turned him into a fool hearted idiot. He used to be level-headed and striving, but every time he was close to the dark haired man he felt gawky.

During an unholy pub-crawl with Ori he decided that this whole nonsense needed to stop. He would put an end to his obsession with his boss. He granted himself permission to watch Thorin one last time and promised himself to stop afterwards immediately.

From his very first visit he remembered a convenient tree right in front of the house. He hadn’t used it because the first time he had tried to use it as an observation point he had nearly broken his neck.

It had been pouring heavily on this particular day and the branches of the tree had been wet and slippery. Years of training had prevented a tragedy, but when he got into work the next morning he was limping badly and had some colourful bruises to show.

In the days to come he couldn’t bring himself to go to Knightsbridge after office hours and kept his distance. The day he followed his notion to watch Thorin from a closer proximity for the last time, was also the day that marked the fourth month of his employment.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOOoooooo……

The day Bilbo crossed the threshold that marked his fourth month working for Thorin Oakenshield was also the day of one of the most important gala dinners for people working in finance. The obscure event was an annual occurrence and as far as Bilbo had learned in the past weeks, it was dreaded by all the PA’s working at Durin Finances.

Thorin himself had made him run circles around the topic. Durin Finance was one of three companies that hosted the event. Luckily Bilbo hadn’t been responsible for any of the preperations, but still, his head was stuffed to the brim with faces, names and titles he had to learn by heart in order to give the CEO a prompt if necessary.

When he came in for work on the morning of his red-letter day he was nervous and jumpy. The young PA had come in a tad earlier today in order to make some last double-checks on the evening preparations as he was suddenly greeted by a smugly grinning Dwalin Fundinson.

Bilbo was about to hang his suit carefully on the door of the coat cabinet as the older man approached him.

“Morning laddie!” Dwalin slapped his shoulder and Bilbo supressed the urge to whine like a little girl.

“Good morning, Mr. Fundinson” Bilbo replied politely, rubbing his now aching shoulder.

Dwalin winced over-dramatically. “Cut the ‘Mr. Fundinson’-crap, lad! It’s Dwalin for you now! Seriously lad, I came to congratulate you! Don’t make me feel old when I’m in celebration mood!”

Bilbo cocked an eyebrow. “Congratulate me on what exactly, Dwalin?”

The older man smiled his crocket smile again. “You mad it longer than most of your predecessors. You crossed the four months mark. Basically you’re family now!”

Bilbo broke into an honest smile. “Sounds like something worthy of a celebration, ideed!”

Before Dwalin had a chance to reply, Thorin rushed out of the elevator only to stop short as something caught his eye. He greeted Dwalin with a handshake and granted Bilbo a curt nod before his eyes flittered over to Bilbo’s suit.

A second later the tall man turned around and walked into his office. Almost out of sight he snarled over his shoulder. “My office, Baggins. Now!”

Dwalin cleared his throat and shot Bilbo a knowing look. Both men knew Thorin’s mercurial behaviour quite well and Dwalin had never felt affronted by it anyway.

“Sounds like you’ll have a fantastic day ahead, Bilbo!” He snickered and patted Bilbo’s bag before he left the PA to his duties and an agitated boss.

Bilbo watched the bald man go and sighed. The prospect of an horrible evening had been enough for him, but it seemed as if his morning would be equally disastrous.

The petit ginger straightened his back before he walked into Thorin’s office, dreading the wrath that was awaiting him.

The CEO was already sitting behind his desk, waiting for his PA. He motioned the younger man to sit on the chair in front of his desk.

Bilbo took a seat and eyed his boss warily. “Sir?”

A brief moment of silence followed while they just regarded each other.

“No!”

Bilbo flinched at Thorin’s annoyed tone of voice. “I beg your pardon, Sir?”  
The CEO waved his hand nonchalantly in the vague direction of Bilbo’s suit. “No, you will not wear this raggedy excuse of a suit tonight!” He offered as a clarification.

The PA jumped out of his chair with more force than intended. Hot anger flared through Bilbo as he starred at the insolent man in front of him. Oh the arrogance and flippancy of his boss was fathomless.

Thorin got up too and leaned on his hands on top of his desk.  
Their height difference was always an annoying issue for Bilbo, especially in moments like this. Having Thorin towering over him hardly helped him making his point and made him feel small and insignificant.

In order to appear taller, he straightened his back and took on a belligerent posture. This was hardly something new. Since the beginning of their working relationship the two men had been involved in a very subtle form of pissing contest. Neither of them would admit it, but secretly they both admired the posture and wit of the other.

Every time Bilbo tried to appear intimidating, Thorin felt himself reminded of a little puppy. The fact that his PA remained a full head shorter than him didn’t help the ginger to appear daunting.

Thorin admittedly enjoyed Bilbo’s spirit and obstreperousness, but on days like these he had teach his PA a lesson. He wasn’t trying to patronise the young man, nor was he arrogant or shallow, but Bilbo hardly new anything about the world he was exploring now.

He let his gaze flitter over the small man in front of him and smiled slightly. Bilbo would hate him for it and it would take time to understand Thorin’s motives, but today he felt the need to protect his PA.

A small part of it was self-preservation since he was the CEO of Durin Finance his PA had to appear as pampered as he himself. Everything at events like the one tonight was superficial, conducted by self-portrayal of phlegmatic and megalomaniac rich men.

“Excuse me? It’s certainly not ragged!” The shorter man remarked pointedly.

Thorin leaned forward and frowned at his assistant. He only meant to protect him from a world that wouldn’t tolerate a soupcon of naivety.

“I said no!” Without giving Bilbo a chance to talk back he reached inside of his jacked pulled out his wallet and handed the PA a credit card.

“Tonight is one of the most important events of the year and I won’t have my assistant accompanying me in nothing more than rags!”

For the fraction of a second Bilbo looked hurt and ashamed but it was fleetingly replaced by anger. The PA reluctantly reached for the plastic card. “That’s your personal credit card.”

Thorin sighed inwardly and cursed Bilbo’s ability to look like a scolded puppy. “It’s bad enough that you won’t be wearing a fitted suit, but that thing is not acceptable!” He glared angrily at the younger man.

“Whatever you’ll be spending on a new suit won’t be nothing more than peanuts to me or anyone of the attending people tonight. Try to keep that in mind!” He settled back into his chair, feeling older than he really was.

Bilbo had been watching him closely during his small speech. “And what would you recommend I’d do with my old suit, Sir?” The PA asked with aggravation in his voice.

His waning patience started to run thin.

“Burn it, for all I care!” The CEO replied dismissively. Apparently that had been the last wrong thing to say.

“Burn it? Seriously, how about I don’t attend at all? Rags or designer suit, youd be lost without me, you insolent git! You couldn’t remember all the names and faces, even if your life depended on it. Not to mention the directions to the venue!”

The words had escaped his mouth before Bilbo had a chance to mule them over in his mind.

Thorin’s eyes widened a fraction before he started to grin smugly. “I’d rather make an arse out of myself than to be seen with you in that sorry bunch of shreds.” He leaned back in his chair, a perfect picture of complacency.

“I’d suggest you leave my office now and follow my orders. Otherwise you’ll find yourself unemployed. Is that clear, Baggins?”

Bilbo, feeling suffocated by his anger could only nod. He spun around and marched out of the office, closing the door with more force than necessary.

As soon as he had left he office building his mobile chimed. Still angry he pulled his phone free from his pocket.

_//While you’re out, pick up my lunch. – T.O._

Bilbo felt a strong urge to throw his mobile into the Thames. For a moment he contemplated to reply with a text that would have made his mother blush but thought better of it. After all he had a nice credit card without a limit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, declarations of undying love and questions are always welcome!


	9. The Seer's Tower Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone and welcome back.  
> I wanted to thank you all. The comments are lovely and the support is amazing – I would have never expected that. Thank you guys, you are fantastic!
> 
> \-----  
> Not sure if anyone actually bothers with my music suggestions for the story, but I simply like my own suggestions...
> 
> The Jakes / Cough Syrup  
> Ella Henderson / Ghost   
> Eric Clapton / Lay Down Sally  
> Vienna Teng / Gravity

A brisk wind was blowing as the former thief stepped out of the building that belonged to Durin Finance. It took him a few moments to collect all his senses and to breathe through his anger. Getting his erratic and angry breathing back under control took even longer.

As he stood in front of the office building, Bilbo didn’t feel only angry but quite lost as well. His new lifestyle proved to be more difficult than expected. His wit and set of skills could only bring him so far. He contemplated to stay away from tonight’s event but decided against it. He was committed to his new life and he didn’t want to act rash.

Still feeling angry and lost he switched his phone back to life which was still in clutched in his fist. Musing for a second he finally decided to call Ori. The other man answered the phone after the third beep.

“I hate him so much” Bilbo groaned in his mobile instead of a greeting. He could hear the blond man chuckle. “Good morning to you too, Bilbo” Ori chirped.

“Good morning, Ori. I’m rather annoyed and I need a suit and I really don’t want to kill my boss. Little help?” His statement was met with a moment of silence.

“You need a suit, as in ‘I need a suit for tonight’s event’? You’ve got to be kidding!”  
Bilbo sighed. “Sadly…no. The one I brought in today didn’t quite meet…ahm…approval.” The humiliation of Thorin’s words suddenly flared up again and he had to close his eyes as he felt his cheeks burning with shame.

Luckily Ori’s incredible empathy seemed to work over the phone also.   
“Bilbo, listen. Relax! We’ve got this, okay? Seriously, that’s easy to fix!” The blond promised.

The PA snorted, still feeling on the verge of crying.  
“So what do you suggest? That I go au naturel?” He could hear s soft rumble and shuffling over the phone.

“I’m sure that would be a memorable show, but no, I have a much better plan!” More shuffling noises followed. There was a sudden loud bang too, followed by a coursing Ori.

“Ori? What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing, no worries, Bilbo” Ori’s breathing came more rapid now. “Say, are you still somewhere close to the building, Bilbo?”

“Erm…yes, I’m standing right in front of it, actually. What are you doing?”

Ori didn’t reply straight away and Bilbo could hear soft steps approaching. Instinct and years of training made him spun around, phone still pressed to his ear. As Ori approached him, Bilbo could hear his friend’s voice twice. “I’m taking you shopping, you sap!” His phone made a clicking nose as Ori disconnected their call.

He shot Bilbo a broad smile before the ginger pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you so, so much!”

“Come along then! We have a schedule to keep and limitless plastic money to spend!” He took Bilbo’s arm and pulled him towards the closest tube station.

After they had stepped into one of the carriages, Ori turned to look at Bilbo, while the smaller man recalled the whole encounter with Thorin about his suit. As Bilbo had finished his story, Ori took a moment to think about the hassle. “Say, Bilbo” He started slowly. “Has it occurred to you that he might not have meant to hurt you?”

The petit ginger cocked his head. “So you think, being a self-righteous arse is fair?”   
“No, what I mean is, that he probably has a good point. Thorin isn’t deliberately cruel, believe me.” He scratched the back of his head, gathering his thoughts. “Well, it’s just you haven’t been to one of this events. People there tend to be shallow and judgemental. And they can differentiate between a suit off the shelf and a tailor made one. People aren’t nice, you know?”

Bilbo regarded him for a moment before he sighed. “You’re probably right, but we’re still going to blow his money, aren’t we?” Ori looked at him dumbfounded. “Obviously, duh”

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

To say Bilbo’s morning had been tedious would be an understatement. Ori had helped him in every way imaginable, but that couldn’t change the fact that he had dragged Bilbo through a variety of stores for the better part of three hours. Still, he should be counting himself lucky that it had only taken them one morning to find him a new outfit for the gala on such a short notice.

The new suit was not from Desmond Merrion but it would hold Thorin’s expectation, or so the PA hoped.

With great foresight, Ori had taken him to a neat tailor shop on a back road of Savile Row in Mayfair. They had taken his measurements and he had ordered a fitted tux and a suit, just in case. Obviously he had paid for both in advance with Thorin’s credit card. He couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty though, the older man had practically asked for it. Frankly it was only a petty revenge if he was to disregard the fact that the suits had been quite costly.

Being needed for a meeting, Ori had left Bilbo packed with several bags and parcels after the fitting. Still feeling utterly grateful the PA had made his way to Bombur’s café in order to pick up lunch for his boss, before he could make his way back.

The day was lovely and the air was still brisk as it had been this morning, so he decided to walk over to Bombur’s. It was a rather short walk from Mayfair and it took the PA about half an hour before he stood in front of the neat little coffee shop.

Packed with his parcels and bags he waved through the broad shop window before he entered. A mouth-watering smell greeted him as he stepped over the threshold and made his belly grumble. The feisty baker stood behind the counter, back turned to the shop and already busy fixing Bilbo’s usual beverage.

“Hey there, duckling” He greeted over his shoulder. “Hullo Bombur!” He sorted the things he had been carrying on an empty table and walked over to the counter. “What’s with all the bags?” The older man asked as Bilbo took a seat. “Just some fancy new clothes for a dinner gala tonight.” Bombur put a cup in front of him and patted his shoulder affectionately. Bilbo smiled broadly at the baker before he took a greedy gulp from the steaming cup. “Thanks for the tea it’s exactly what I needed.”

Bombur grinned and walked over to pick up a plate and put some freshly baked madeleines right under Bilbo’s nose. “Tell me what you think, it’s a new a recipe I’m working on.”

“Do I really look as hungry as I feel?” Bilbo asked sheepishly bevore he started to wolf down the tasty treat. “Delicious as always.” He offered between bites. Bombur nodded and took one himself. “Do you need to use the kitchen today, duckling?”

Ever since his second week Bilbo had been visiting, especially on days when Thorin had requested lunch to be brought to him in the office. Most of the delis and restaurants close to the finance building had been found wanting and were unfit to accommodate Bilbo with an elaborate dish. So it had been yet another task for Bilbo to fulfil to supply his boss with a decent meal every once in a while.

The feisty baker had suggested Bilbo should use his kitchen after Bilbo had stumbled through his door, asking where he could find fresh scallops in London at an ungodly hour. Bombur enjoyed having Bilbo around and watching the petit ginger cook. The young man looked calm and at ease when he stood behind the stove and created delectable dishes.

Bilbo nodded and finished his tea. “Yeah, I’d love too, if it’s okay for you.”  
“Well, you now your way around. Have fun” Bombur left him to it and shambled over to the till to greet his next customer.

Putting his cup away, Bilbo hopped from the bar stool and made his way to the spacious kitchen in the back of the shop. He flitted through the room, carefully avoiding all the pans and pots on the massive stove and keeping splashes off his attire, as he gathered some ingredients.

Busy with chopping vegetables and preparing the meat he had brought with him he let his thoughts wander. In the past few years cooking had always been his own little refugee and it helped to put his mind at peace every time. When he was done putting the dish in a thermos container he felt ready to face his boss again, with all notions of homicide lost.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

It was around noon when he finally arrived back at the office. With his heavy load he had hailed a cab from Bombur’s café- yet another thing he could pay with Thorin’s credit card. From the elevator he walked slowly towards the antechamber of Thorin’s office. He couldn’t delay the encounter with his boss any further, he had several other things to do before tonight and sulking wouldn’t solve anything.

He put the parcels and bags away and arranged a tray with Thorin’s lunch. Mentally he counted from one to ten to brace himself. _Good God, get a grip, Bilbo! You’re a grown man…!_ A tiny voice in his head scolded him.

Knocking softly on the door, he waited for the inevitable.

“Come!” The voice was a bit muffled by the thick wooden door but unmistakeable his bosses rich bass. Using his elbow to open the door he pushed his way inside the spacious office.

Thorin was talking on the phone, his back facing the door as Bilbo entered the room. As quiet as possible Bilbo put the tray on the desk and turned to leave, when the CEO’s voice stopped him.

“Show me!”

“Good afternoon to you too, Sir” Bilbo greeted the other man icily. Thorin waved his hand dismissively at his PA’s tone. “Get going, Baggins.” Boiling with rage Bilbo left the office, only to return mere seconds later with the newly purchased suit. He held the attire under Thorin’s nose feeling like a defiant child.

The CEO regarded the garment thoroughly. “Well, it’ll have to do for tonight. Make sure you’ll have something fitted for the next occasion, Baggins.”

“Already taken care of. I took the liberty of using your card for that as well. So, thank you very much for your generosity, Sir.” He felt like a very, very petulant child.

His boss raised an eyebrow but let it slide. “I’m hoping for your own benefit that your behaviour will be better tonight”

He glanced at the tray on his desk. “And what’s that supposed to be?”

“That would be lunch, Sir” Bilbo pressed out between clenched teeth.

“I already had lunch”

Bilbo was prepared to murder the other man anytime soon.

“Very well then” He said but couldn’t bring himself f to move, afraid that he would end slapping the other man.

Thorin, who leaned against his desk, shot him a dirty smirk. “You look like you want to throw this fillet mignon at me.” He commented dryly. “You are a keen observer, Sir. I’d love to” The PA confirmed, faux sweetness in his voice.

“If you have to follow your urges, keep in mind that you’ll be the one to clean it up again”

Bilbo only glared at him and finally walked over to stand right before Thorin. The CEO looked down and cocked his eyebrow again, regarding his PA expectantly. Without further comment Bilbo simple reached past him and grabbed the tray. He spun around and started to stalk out of the office.

“What do you think you’re doing? I can’t recall dismissing you, Baggins” _Damn this man!_

Without turning back, Bilbo replied. “I’m going to eat it, after I’ve dismissed myself, Sir!”

With that said he went through the door and kicked it shut behind him. The deep and throaty laughter must have been a figment of his imagination.

……ooooooOOOOOOOoooooo……

Ori had started the day quite early, despite the fact that Dwalin had made him work late last night. The lanky man sighed. His immense crush on Dwalin bordered on pathetic, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to have that man so badly; he couldn’t even remember when he had last locked at other blokes.

Bilbo’s call had been a welcome distraction. Since he had a fairly free morning he was able to usher his friend through a variety of shops in order to get him a decent garment for tonight. He had felt a bit mean leaving the ginger to his own devices, but he had a meeting scheduled that he really needed to attend. Since he had already ditched his lunch break he simply hadn’t had any time left.

The meeting was at two o’clock, but he had a presentation to finish for Dwalin so he had rushed back to the office. Just as he was seated behind his desk again said man entered the office.

“Hullo, Dwalin” Ori greeted him with a warm smile. Dwalin nodded. “Can you cancel my appointments after the lunch meeting today? The cute blond from the deli across the street finally gave in”

Ori felt a pang in his chest, one he was quite used to after working three years with the older man. He did his best to ban every ounce of sadness from his voice. “Of course, consider it done. Anything else?”

“Help me choose a tie?” And with that Ori was forced to look over a huge array of ties in various shapes and colours. For the next 15 minutes the blond had a carte blanche to stare at Dwalin’s chest as he tried tie after tie. He wondered briefly how Dwalin actually managed to get his work done between his vanity and his sexual conquests.

“Any news on the love front, Ori? Been a while since I last ask. No alcohol around this time!” Dwalin’s voice boomed through the office, accompanied by a wicked grin.

Ori groaned inwardly. “Well, it seems that you are successful enough for the both of us…” He smiled weakly. “So you’re waiting for the big romance? House, kids and dog?” The tall man asked mockingly.

His protégé sighed. “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.” He gave Dwalin another one of his most lovely smiles and the bald man chuckled.

“You should really ask that friend of yours out on a date. You know, the cute one, you sacrificed to the God of finance.”

“Dwalin, Bilbo is my best friend. I have a policy about not dating my best friends”  
“You don’t suggest your friends to work for Thorin Oakenshield”  
Ori huffed and choose to ignore the last comment. “As I was saying, Bilbo is my friend and he is the kindest person I know. But, even if I would consider dating a friend, Bilbo isn’t..well…not my type”

Before Dwalin could say anything else, Ori’s mobile chirped and saved him from his misery. While the blond was talking on the phone, Dwalin stood in front of his mirror holding two different ties to his chest still indecisive.

Ori ended the call and regarded his boss. “I really need to finish the presentation for the meeting.”  
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about that. Tell me, which one” he held the two ties up for Ori to inspect.

Up until now everything had been fine with Dwalin. His morning had been brilliant and after his daily workout he had felt younger than he really was. But just before Ori could tell him to take the blue cravat instead of the green tie he felt a heavy pain his chest.

A grunt escaped his mouth and he pressed his fist against his chest as he cleared his throat repeatedly. He looked at Ori, who was now regarding him with a warily expression and tried to take a deep breath. He struggled with breathing and the pain in his chest grew stronger.

The last thing he heard was Ori shouting his name before everything went black.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

The dark had already settled in as Dwalin woke to a steady beeping noise and the smell of antiseptics. His body felt much older than it had ever before and every fibre ached. The bald man was happy that his surroundings were more or less dark as he opened his eyes. There was a faint light source from somewhere out on the hall but the room he was laying in was only lit by the lights that fell into it from the street.

Moving his head hurt, so did basically everything else as well. He had no idea where he was or what year he was in for that matter. The last things he could remember were his ties and his protégés sweet smile.

Without moving he glanced around the room. Clearly he was in a hospital, but he had absolutely no idea how and why he had gotten there. There wasn’t much to be seen besides beeping machines and a heap on the chair in the far corner of the room.

Suddenly said heap moved a bit and Dwalin recognised his protégé curled up on the chair like a cat. A church bell chimed somewhere in the distance, counting the gongs told Dwalin that it was four o’clock in the morning.

The image of the blond barista popped into his head. _Well, well, another missed opportunity_. He mused as he watched Ori sleep. He must have blacked out, or he wouldn’t be here. Maybe Ori had finally given in to his urges and had hit him over the head.

“You’re awake” The words were spoken warmly, barely a whisper and they went right down to Dwalin’s core. A drowsy Ori was watching him with the most relieved expression on his pretty face Dwalin had ever seen.

“Yup” He sounded hoarse as if he hadn’t been using his voice in weeks. “You’re awake and alive!” Ori whispered again and this time his voice sounded almost teary. As he looked at his protégé again the young man actually had tears in his eyes. Ori must have realised that too and was wiping his eyes hastily with his sleeve.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s just, you scared me so much. You had a heart attack and suddenly you were laying on the floor and didn’t move and I just…I couldn’t…”

Ori had talked to fast, Dwalin had been hardly able to follow him and then he stopped, his voice broken and looking down ashamed.

In the developing silence Dwalin allowed to look at his protégé, for the first time really looking at him. The blond refused to talk and avoided the other man’s gaze. Dwalin felt suddenly very old and lost. Ori was beautiful in his very own way. He was brilliant and kind. There was just so much potential in the small body and it made Dwalin proud and sad at the same time.

Their business was brutal and self-serving, but Ori wasn’t as mercurial as Thorin, as shrewd as his older brother Balin or as brisk as Dwalin himself. His kind nature wouldn’t really open him any doors in the world of finance, even if the younger man played his cards right. Someone would take advantage of him sooner or later, which was the exact reason why Ori was still Dwalin’s protégé after three years.

The boy could work magic, but Dwalin had greedily watched over him, not yet ready to let Ori face the world on his own. He could still remember the day when Ori had started working with him. Full of insecurities, and yet bristling with a zest for action. It had taken him over a year to make Ori call him by his first name, but it had been worth it.

Now he realised how much Ori had changed and flourished during the past years. He stood at the beginning of his prime and Dwalin was on the verge of leaving it.

The only thing he could do was acting like a grown up and letting the young man go his own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, questions, love and biscuits as always ^^


	10. What Money Paid For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music:
> 
> You + Me / No Ordinary Love  
> Wolf Myer Orchestra / Soulgate   
> The Head and the Heart / Lost in my Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> The new chapter is fairly long and my gratitude goes to my new beta-reader, the lovely iAnitaYamaha2406!   
> Enjoy!

On the day after the gala, Bilbo was fully prepared to leave his job for good and with it his first try at a civil life, behind. After what had happened, he had left fairly early and had been strolling through London on his own deeply lost in thought.

It must have been weird for every passing stranger, watching a well-dressed young man walking on the streets, changing between a sad expression on his face and loud exclamations about his employer in seconds.

After the first hour of his useless march, Bilbo had tried to call Ori. It seemed as if the blond had simply fallen from the surface of the earth, after their little shopping tour this morning. He hadn’t attended the gala and Bilbo had tried to call him, but to no avail.

Hurt and lonely the former thief had marched on through the more and more deserted streets of Westminster, not wanting to be in his own skin right now. Shortly after midnight he had walked past Bombur’s little café and briefly considered stepping inside. It was still filled to the brim and he didn’t want to bother the baker with the state he was in.

Hours after hours later at around four o’clock in the morning he had finally made a decision. Leaving seemed like his best option, he would move on and start somewhere new. It only felt a tiny bit like running away. He could go to New Zealand or somewhere on the continent, but not the States, not yet, not so soon.

Before packing up and vanishing in the night he needed to make one last visit. Just as he had promised himself weeks before, he would visit Thorin one last time. At the time when he had vowed that to himself he hadn’t thought that it would happen so soon and yet, he found himself standing in Thorin’s street at around five in the morning.

The shadows of the huge trees that lined the street helped to obscure the petit ginger, as he kept an eye on the street to catch every movement. Naturally the street lay deserted, considering the ungodly hour.

Feeling the pressing urge of a goodbye the PA seized the tree which was closest to his boss’ house. A thick branch reached over the high fence into the garden that surrounded the edifice.

Bilbo glanced up and down the street, checking again if he was alone. The twilight would provide some shelter once he was up on the tree, but on the street he’d be clearly visible.

From an earlier experience he knew that the old lady who lived around the corner would walk her dog at 5.30 – like clockwork. This would be his timeframe. He casted a last glance around, just for good measures, before he broke into a run.

Just before he reached the trunk he jumped upwards as high as he could, using the momentum from his sprint. Aiming for one of the lower branches he extended his right arm and reached for the tree limb. He actually caught one and hung there for a second, pulling on it to ensure its stability. The wood didn’t give in under his weight so he began to pull himself up onto it.

As soon as he was securely on the branch he propped himself up and regarded his surroundings again. Nothing had changed, the street was empty, not even a fox was showing its face. Up in the tree Bilbo could feel the wind biting his nose and suddenly he was very aware of himself. A fit of giggles threatened to burst out, just as he settled onto the branch for a moment.

How pathetic he must seem right now. A man in his mid-twenties, hunched up on a tree, clad in a really expensive suit, face flushed and wild-eyed. He shook his head frantically; there was no time for self-pity. He could drown in sorrow and self-doubt in the safety of his own home, not on some damn tree in the middle of Knightsbridge.

Putting his thoughts and feelings behind a thick bar in his mind, he started to climb higher, fast and confident as a squirrel. The branch that was hanging over the fence was still a few feet above his head. Once up there, Bilbo would only need to walk over it to reach the other side.

Never had he tried to cross the fence before, instead he had always kept his distance. This time, for the last time, he needed to get a closer look.

Obscured by leaves the PA inched closer towards his destination while he mused about his possibilities and approaches. It was still dark and the only source of light came from a lamppost at the corner, basically it was enough for him to see, but not much. He didn’t want to risk another fall, yet he couldn’t wait for sunrise.

As he finally reached the thick branch he settled into the crutch, close to the trunk where the foliage was dense enough to obscure him from sight. The position was far from comfortable, but his view was unperturbed and he needed a few more moments.

The distance between the secure part of the branch and the edge of the balcony that belonged to Thorin’s flat was approximately 8 feet. A distance he could jump easily with enough momentum. This, however, meant that he would need to sprint over the branch.

Glancing below he took a deep breath. He was about 10 feet above the ground, falling from such a height wouldn’t kill him, but it would raise the possibility of broken bones and awkward questions.

Torn between anxiety and the absurd wish to see the tall dark haired man for one last time he couldn’t help but think back a few hours.

It had started so well and then everything had come down, rolling them over like leaves in a massive storm. The evening had been a total disaster. Mind him, deals had been made, shoulders had been rubbed and egos had been polished, but for Bilbo it been devastating.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

_“Why do you want to dance with me?” Bilbo asked mildly shocked._

_The dark haired man regarded him suspiciously, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s good for publicity. Especially since we’re about to finish a deal with QX (*) and this could be interpreted in our favour”, Thorin stated matter-of-factly._

_“You’re a manipulative bastard!” Bilbo replied hotly before he could stop himself. To his utter surprise Thorin smiled at that. “I take it as a compliment.”_

_Without awaiting a response he pulled Bilbo with him towards the dance floor. The room was decorated beautifully and most of the guests appeared to be having a good time. At the moment, the band was playing a lively waltz and the floor was fairly crowded with a mixture of couples swaying to the music. The two of them waited politely at the edge of the dance floor for the next song to begin._

_The next piece was a bit slower and had a low swing beat. After the initial awkwardness each couple that danced for the first time had to endure, they started dancing and swayed to the music. Bilbo could hear his blood rushing in his ears, felt his heart beating frantically and his skin tingled everywhere._

_He could smell his boss’s musky aftershave; cardamom with a hint of lemon. Feeling so affected by their closeness and Thorin’s soft touches made Bilbo feel horrible. This wasn’t his place. He didn’t belong in the arms of the CEO or in the world of the rich and powerful. His crush was as childish as it was unprofessional and the whole day had proven how badly it affected his behaviour._

_His usual kind and polite demeanour was gone as soon as Thorin opened his mouth and started to push Bilbo’s buttons. The PA hadn’t felt so far away from his natural self since a long time and it made him nervous and uneasy in his own skin._

_Lost in thought, he stepped on Thorin’s foot, as his body had moved on his own accord, not being used to following during a dance. He winced instantly and shot an apologetic glance upwards. The CEO only glared down and wrinkled his nose slightly._

_It happened again and again, until the shuffling of their feet grew awkward. The CEO cleared his thoat pointedly and strengthened his hold. “Apologies. I’m not used to - ” Bilbo mumbled defiantly and dared to look up into Thorin’s face._

_The tall man looked back down on him, lips pressed together into a thin line. “Spare me, Baggins.” He interrupted the smaller man in his arms. Instantly Bilbo stepped on his foot again, this time with a slight edge of malicious intent. Thorin glared at him, looking ready to kick him in the shins._

_“Would you be so kind to refrain from trying to lead, Baggins.”  
Bilbo looked back up, a sheepish expression plastered on his face. “I’m not used to dancing with another man, not to mention my very manly boss. In front of a crowd of important people and the press.” He hissed, trying to contort his grimace into a pleasant smile. _

_Thorin shrugged it off and twirled Bilbo once before his arms caught him again. “Apparently not. Now mind your feet and try to look like you’re enjoying this. And for heaven’s sake, stop trying to lead, if it’s not too much trouble.” The dark haired man hissed back, voice dripping with sarcasm._

_Feeling blinded by the bright flare of cameras going off, Bilbo forced himself to even out his breathing and started counting his steps, minding his feet just like a beginner. If he could fully trust his dancing partner it would be easier to be lead, but as it was, it made him feel foolish._

_The closeness of the tall man intoxicated his senses. They swayed together to the music and Bilbo could almost feel the flashlights of thousand cameras on his skin, each of them burning a mark into his flesh. And Thorin with his always lurking presence made him feel so very small and insignificant._

_Suddenly Thorin stopped moving, forcing them to halt in the middle of the dance floor. The other dancers around them ignored them politely as they swayed past them._

_With his skin tingling and a blush creeping up his face the petit ginger looked up, his head tilted slightly to the side._

_Heat radiated from Thorin, making him Bilbo’s personal sun. A pair of lips found his own, only with the slightest pressure, soft and fragile like a butterfly._

_The dancing around them continued as far as Bilbo could tell, but he couldn’t care less. This was happening and in his opinion it felt right but oh so wrong at the same time._

_He brought his hands up to gently push against Thorin’s chest, but his fingers closed around the other man’s lapels on their own accord. A happy sigh escaped his throat and against his better judgement he leaned more into their kiss._

_It was over as fast as it had started. Thorin broke the kiss and straightened his back immediately, holding Bilbo an arm’s length away again, a staggered expression on his face._

_Suddenly the PA felt very aware of the whole situation around them. His reaction that followed was purely based on instinct, as he grabbed Thorin’s hand and hauled him past the crowd and flashlights._

_The primary objective, his instincts ordered him, was privacy and seclusion._

_He swore under his breath, realising that he was bloody unfamiliar with the terrain. As he tried to slip into one of the more deserted corridors at a junction he was alerted by a soft pull at his hand . He stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Thorin, cocking an eyebrow._

_The CEO didn’t say anything, his face was blank and ridden of any emotion but he jerked his head in a different direction, indicating that Bilbo should take the other corridor if he was looking for an empty room._

_The first door he tried led to a stuffed cupboard for cleaning supplies and Bilbo could swear he had heard a low chuckle from behind him. However, the second door proved to be a good choice._

_Apparently the room was used for storage what suited the former thief just fine. He pulled his boss through the door and closed it behind them._

_“What. Was. That?”_

_Thorin had walked across the room and leaned against one of the dusty windows, features only dimly lit by the light that fell inside from a lamppost. He watched Bilbo for a long moment._  
“What are you referring to exactly?”  
The PA started to pace in front of his boss, clearly irritated. “You’ve really got some nerve…” He growled as he stomped past Thorin again. 

_“I totally see how you’re a bit more…off…than usual, and all things considered that happened today I apologise for my behaviour but you can’t just run around and kiss people without warning.” He passed his boss for a fifth time, still pacing in the room._

_Thorin stood there, still leaning against the window and watched him. “So, your question is, if my behaviour or character quirks are the reason that sent most of your predecessors running for the hills?” The tall man stated after a second._

_“Character quirks? You kissed me in front of a whole bloody lot of paparazzi!” Bilbo snapped, coming to a halt in front of his boss._

_“Well, as I told you before, it was merely for PR purposes.” For the fraction of a second he almost looked apologetic before he waved his hand dismissively as if the whole situation didn’t bother him in the slightest. “I have a company to run after all and stand responsible for large amounts of money. I need to do unpleasant things to keep everything on track. I have absolutely no use for personnel that can’t keep up. What I do is important to me and comes with a fair share of responsibility!”_

_Bilbo could feel his hears ringing and his face flushed an even deeper shade of red. “Unpleasant?” He repeated slowly, disbelief in his voice._

_“Don’t get stuck on a phrase.” Thorin retorted angrily, waving his hand dismissively again as if the word would simply disappear with a flick of his wrist.  
“Why can’t you be nice?” The PA asked with desperation. “You can’t run around and kiss people because it’s convenient!”_

_“I’m not a nice person, Bilbo. See, for the niceties I need a PA. As long as I have a friendly PA I can be my despicable self.”_

_“No, you don’t get to do that! Not after what you just did to me!” He put his arms around himself, trying to find comfort in his own embrace. “You made me look like a fool in front of so many people!” The young man felt like crying. The exposure and the pain of his raging emotions simply felt too much for his small body._

_“What did I do to you?” The PA’s voice bordered to screaming right now._

_Thorin just stood there and took it without any response, he simply watched Bilbo ranting about in the empty room._

_“Don’t you have anything to say?” The PA almost begged. Moments filled with silence dragged by, while the CEO just looked him, face bare of any emotions. Bilbo felt something deep inside him shatter, a pain more present than every physical wound he ever had to endure._

_“I’m not one of those ordinary blokes you can pick up and toy with them. I have a mind of my own and feelings, if you’ve ever heard about that!” He screamed only to fill the ever present silence._

_“I’ll have it with you. I’m so done. Seriously, that’s more than I can put on with! I don’t want to work with you anymore. I’m out!” Those last words seemed to have shaken Thorin out of his stupor._

_He blew air out of his nose, wearing an irritated expression. “Don’t be ridiculous. I need to go back to the party. I’ll see you tomorrow morning” His voice was steady and barely inflicted with emotion. The CEO gave Bilbo a last glance, before he left, returning to the gala and the other guests._

_Bilbo watched him go silently. As the door closed behind his boss, he grabbed a glass bottle from one of the tables that stood scattered around the room and threw it against it. The glass shattered everywhere, but Bilbo couldn’t care less._

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

The anger had settled into his stomach and he was tempted to climb down again and simply leave. Preparing mentally for the climb he was suddenly alerted by the light being switched on in the living room. The light escaped the flat and flooded the balcony and even reached a small part of the branch.

It made Bilbo flinch and he crouched back, closer to the trunk. His heart was drumming against his ribcage and he feared that is was loud enough to alert the other man. He could see Thorin walk by, one hand pressed his mobile to his ear, the other holding a bottle of something that looked vaguely like whiskey.

The vibrating of his phone nearly made him fall out of the tree again. He breathed heavily through his nose as he clung to the branch, trying to find his balance again. Whoever was calling him must be out of their mind! It was still in the middle of the night and if he wouldn’t be sitting on a damn tree in front of his boss’ window he would be well tucked in bed and soundly asleep.

Still breathing heavily and rushed with adrenaline he managed to get into a secure position on the clammy wood and pulled his phone out. The screen flared up: 10 missed calls and half a dozen texts. Strangely enough, all of them came from the very man he had just watched walking through his living room. His brows knitted together in confusion and irritation. After what had happened tonight, Thorin now felt the need to talk to him?

Said man just threw his phone in the vague direction of his couch before he fell onto it, hands in his hair and looking desperate.

Bilbo watched him taking a deep gulp from a bottle that surely held something like whiskey judging from the colour of the liquid. Why couldn’t he be sound asleep in his bed just like every sane person? He had just wanted to take a glance through his bedroom window and be done with it. His only intention had been to get one good last look of the stupid jerk that claimed to be his boss.

The other man didn’t look as if he would go to bed anytime soon and Bilbo knew that his time frame was growing tight. He cursed under his breath. There was nothing to be done than to watch, since he couldn’t bring himself to leave and admitting defeat. All he wanted was one proper look from up close, so he settled in again, prepared for the long wait.

Just as luck would have it, Thorin got up from the sofa, only a few minutes into his watch, and went further into the flat, out of view.

Without thinking about it, Bilbo took this opportunity. He got up from his crouching position and as soon as he had a steady feeling in his legs he sprinted along the branch as fast as he dared. His body was moving on auto-pilot, relying on years of training and muscle memory.

A fraction later he prepared his body for the jump and pushed away with as much force as he could muster…and almost overshot it. He crashed against the balustrade of the balcony and pulled himself over as fast as possible.

The former thief stumbled on top of the balcony and into the far corner, out of the strict line of view from the living room. As he pressed his body against the brick wall, he listened for fast approaching steps or other noises that indicated that he had been discovered, but apparently his mishap had gone unnoticed.

He peered inside the apartment to confirm that Thorin was still in and hadn’t left. Just as he caught a proper glance into the living room two things happened at one. Firstly he was struck with awe at the sheer loveliness of Thorin’s home. Secondly he felt the well-known feeling of cringing shame clawing at his insides. He had no right to be here at all, not after what had happened.

The older man staggered back into view and Bilbo had to supress a gasp of surprise and worry.

Bilbo had seen the other man in manifold states of emotion but right now Thorin looked angry and strangely broken. The former thief had no idea how a man like the CEO actually expressed sadness, but if his gut feeling was anything to go by, he’d say, Thorin was devastated.

There was nothing he could do though, just watching the other man drink himself into stupor. He had already made his decision, he would leave for sure. The thought of the aftermath of tonight’s events still made his insides cringe. He wasn’t willing to see his own face on the tabloids front pages staring back at him.

All of a sudden he felt alert and his fears of getting caught made him take a run-up on the brick wall. He jumped just high enough to catch the edge of the roof, pulling his upper body over the edge and making sure that his legs wouldn’t dangle in front of the balcony window. He rolled over the house top and jumped up. Before Thorin could possibly step out on the balcony and catch a glimpse of him, he broke into a sprint over the shingles.

As he reached the end of the roof, he briefly calculated the distance between this house and the next before he prepared to jump.

Just as he was in the air mid-jump, he knew that he wouldn’t get out of this without some bruises. The roof was a tad further away and much lower than he had anticipated. Additionally it was made from concrete, but luckily flat, which made it easier to land at least. The moment he reached the other roof, he made a dive roll to lessen the impact on his body.

The harsh underground made his bones crunch and he knew that at least two bruises would begin to blossom as soon as he would reach ground level.

A few houses away the young assistant used a downpipe to lower himself on the street again. As he made his way to the closest tube station he chastised himself for his sentimental stupidity. How would he have explained his presence on his boss’ balcony, had he been caught?

After their disastrous display of affection earlier that night, the older man had given him no indications that he fancied him at all. The phone calls and texts aside, Thorin had remained his brooding and brisk self. And yet, Bilbo couldn’t help but wonder about how wounded and lonely he had looked while he had been glancing through the balcony window.

Had he just misinterpreted the situation? Considering the amount of alcohol Thorin had administered himself he ought to be utterly hammered – or dead by Bilbo’s estimations. Maybe this had been the CEO’s ‘I’m-utterly-pissed’-behaviour and he hadn’t been unhappy at all.

Bilbo shook his head to get rid of his thoughts about his boss. All he wanted to do right now, was lying down spread-eagled on the floor of his flat, a cuppa next to him and glare at the ceiling. He limped to the next tube station in order to catch a train home, hoping that it was already late enough for the tube to work again.

There was so much he needed to think about and Bilbo loathed the familiar feeling of helplessness that began to flow through his body.

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

The CEO dug his fingers into his mane of dark hair and threw his mobile in the vague direction of the couch. It was hopeless, his little PA wouldn’t pick up, which was quite understandable given the time and his actions of this night.

He fell back heavily on the couch, taking up the bottle of whiskey again. Not bothering with a glass he took a deep drag from the bottle before he sat it down again. What a mess.

Lost in his own thoughts and misery he barely registered an unusual shadow on his balcony. Yet a sudden movement in the corner of his eye made him jerk his head. There had been a pair of legs. He shot his bottle a look and glanced back at his balcony, huffing in confusion.

There had been a damn pair of legs in the upper part of his balcony window! What the actual hell? He had been nurturing his insobriety quite well over the last two hours, but now he was just beginning to imagine things.

The shadow he had spotted from out of the corner of his eye had looked vaguely familiar, but now he just saw Bilbo Baggins everywhere. He was fairly sure that the other man would be found everywhere else than on his balcony. A delicate person, such as his PA wouldn’t go bouldering on his façade.

Besides, after tonight, the CEO was more than convinced that there was no chance at all that he would see the smaller man in his proximity ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) QX Magazine – It’s the only Gay magazine I’ve ever seen and I really do apologise for misusing it! No harm intended, seriously!


	11. Dog day's are over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:
> 
> Portishead – Glory Box  
> The Kooks – Sweet Emotion  
> ZZ Ward – Till the casket drops  
> Natalie Merchant – Carnival

Faint light seeped into the dim hospital room as it lay quiet in the dark. The only noises came from the beeping machines that monitored Dwalin’s steady heartbeat and muffled crying from his blond protégé out of the far corner of the room. Mere moments had passed and the older man on the bed whished he was still in oblivion.

With his state of distress Ori had drained all his banter and wit out of him. Lying in the dark and avoiding the other man felt pathetic and weak but it was everything he could manage.

He starred outside and tried to remember what had happened between his last coherent nt moment and now. His head felt like it would burst any moment and the everlasting smell of antiseptic crept into his nose and made him feel nauseous.

“I’m afraid you missed your date...”

Dwalin’s silent brooding was abruptly interrupted by Ori’s soft voice. At least the lad had stopped crying and didn’t sound teary anymore. He chuckled. “You found your sense of humour at last, and all it took was a coronary!”

The young blond wrinkled his nose in disgust and glared at him depreciatory. “You shouldn’t joke about that!”  
“Relax, cub, I’m fine” Dwalin released a sigh and settled back into his pillows.  
“You really look it, yeah!” Ori still glared angrily at him from out of his gloomy corner.

Dwalin grunted and reached for a glass of water on his nightstand. “What, don’t you fancy me like this?” It was intended to be a joke but turned out to be a game-changer.

Ori made a strangled noise and didn’t respond at first. Moments of silence passed between them, only disturbed by the steady beeping sound of Dwalin’s heart monitor. From his corner he watched the older man who looked pale even in the darkness of the room. How many times today had he wished that he had told the other man about his feelings?

Later he couldn’t tell what had given him this rush of courage this night. Maybe it was the relief that Dwalin had finally woken up again, the lingering fatigue of his trying day or the obscuring darkness of the room. Whatever it was, it made him tell the truth and opened his heart. He took a deep breath and searched for Dwalin’s eyes as he begun to talk.

“It’s quite the opposite, Dwalin. I fancy you a lot, but you are too busy chasing various baristas and grad students to notice it.”

The other man looked at him gobsmacked. Just a stupid joke! Never had he intended to tease a confession out of the blond. He was definitely not prepared for a conversation like this.

He furrowed his brows and regarded his protégé pensively. “Would it work if I’d feign a heart attack to get out of this conversation?”

“Another stupid joke and I’ll hit you! Just listen to me, will you?” The blond snapped.

A deep sigh escaped his throat.   
“I’m so not feeling it. What do you want from me, cub?” To his embarrassment he found that his voice sounded far more raw and insecure than it had in a very long time.

Ori smiled a thin smile. “Everything you’re prepared to give me”

“What if I’m only willing to give you one night?” The older man couldn’t help the crude grin on his face. He felt out of his element and didn’t want to confront any of those disturbing feelings he had for the young man in front of him. Life had been so easy a few hours ago.

“Well, I’d probably take it anyway. It would break my heart and you would need to look for a new assistant, but so far, that’s just speculations, isn’t it?” Ori leaned forward, his eyes still searching for Dwalin’s gaze.

“Devoted little thing, aren’t you?”

“It’s not so much devotion as it is adoration. I’m tired of the whole situation, Dwalin. You are so far away from being a Prince Charming. It’s unbelievably painful to watch you with your flings and floozies. But the thing is I know you. I’ve seen all your flaws and quirks over the years and I found that I love them. You are far, far away from perfect and I love you fiercely for it.” He stopped briefly and started to look at his own hands instead.

“It’s not my intention to put you in a situation. Take the information and do with it as you pleae, really. If you’d prefere me to leave, I’ll go. I just needed you to know, selfish as I am. Believe me, it’s getting really pathetic on my part and I want out.” The blond sounded teary again and Dwalin averted his gaze again.

“You came quite close to dying today, old man. I thought you should know before it’s too late. If you don’t want me, that’s alright. I just need a chance to move on, but my emotional stupor is unbearable.” He finished his oration and drew a shaky breath feeling open and vulnerable like a blank nerve.

“Since when?” Was all Dwalin could manage to press out through clenched teeth.

Ori groaned with annoyance. “Since I started working with you, if you must know.”

“You are an idiot! You let me go to dates with all those goofs when I could have had you!” Neither of them had expected Dwalin’s sudden outburst.

“I’m not responsible for your love life. You’re an adult…sometimes.”

“Well…” Silence threatened to stretch between them again.

“Oh God, no. Please don’t! Seriously, don’t make this even more awkward than it is!” Ori squealed hastily. “Think about what I said and please don’t give me any corny explanations. I don’t deserve that.” The young man got up and the plastic chair scratched over the linoleum floor.

“You’re off?” Dwalin asked lamely.

The blond nodded and gave him a sweet smile yet his body language spoke of his eagerness to escape the unpleasant atmosphere. “Get well soon, Dwalin.”

Dwalin watched him leave from his hospital bed wishing for a huge bottle of strong alcohol to mute the storm of emotions raging through him. Years of ignorance and the lack of emotional attatchment had been crumbled with a simple confession. Damn the blond minx!

He groaned in pain and rubbed his temple as if he could will his disaster and approaching headache away. _Ignorance is bliss, old man._

 

As soon as Ori stumbled out of the hospital he was greeted by the cold night air of London. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves and welcoming the cold burn of it in his lungs. Their brief exchange was still ringing in his ears and made his insides burn with embarrassment.

Glancing at his watch he stifled a groan. It was really late, or very early, depending on the angle you’d look at it. A few more hours before the tube would take up work again and getting a night bus home didn’t sound appealing in the slightest.

All he wanted and needed right now was a very hot shower and a few good hours rest on a proper mattress. The day seemed endless and he felt constantly on edge. A few blocks away from the hospital he hailed a cab and gave the cabbie his address as he settled into the backseat.

His thoughts went to Bilbo. He had left the other man to his own devices on a night like this and felt bad for it despite what had happened during the rest of the day.

As much as he longed for his bed he longed for a chat with his friend. After his confession he still felt vulnerable and stupid, maybe Bilbo with his sharp mind could offer him a good piece of advice.

He must have dozed off during his musing, for he just opened his drowsy eyes as the cab took a turn into his street. The car stopped in front of his building and Ori stepped out of the cab leaving the cabbie a generous tip.

So close to his bed he didn’t feel like sleeping. He walked the short distance to Bilbo’s flat.

The lights in Bilbo’s apartment were still on and Ori wanted to try his luck. The front door of the building was left ajar as always so he just had to push it open. He tiptoed up the flight of stairs to Bilbo’s flat and remembered just in time to avoid the last stair – the one that creaked so desperately loud it could raise the dead.

He tried his best to be as quiet as possible as he didn’t wish to wake the other residents. When he finally reached the door to Bilbo’s flat he found it open already, a ray of light seeped onto the dark corridor.

Ori pushed the door open and glanced inside warily. What he saw made him smile broadly and he couldn’t help a small chuckle.

Bilbo was lying on the floor spread-eagled a steaming mug next to his right hand and still clad in his handsome attire of the evening, now a bit wrinkled.

“Knock, kno-“ He started only to be interrupted brusque by the ginger.

“Oh come on in already! I’ve heard you since you entered the building, Ori!”

Still grinning, Ori closed to door behind him and crossed the room with a few paces. He settled down on the floor next to Bilbo reaching for his cup. Giving his friend a once-over he took a sip of the hot brew. The tea was sweet and had a shot of whiskey in it which warmed Ori to his core making him feel content instantly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” The blond asked as he stole another sip.

“Nah, I’m fine. I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah. Me too” They both shared a smile and after a brief pause Ori spoke up again. “You cozy down there? Looks mighty uncomfortable”

“It’s killing my back, but it helps me think”

The ginger glanced at Ori from the corner of his eyes, barely moving at all. A frown settled on his features as he saw the state his friend was in.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Ori briefly considered the offer and smiled again. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Well then, hit me hard” Both roared with laughter stupidly and then Ori started to tell Bilbo the whole story. He told him about what had happened after they had parted after their shopping trip, told him about the events at the hospital and his odd confession. The ginger never interrupted him or asked silly questions, nor offered lame condolences. He just listened and let Ori talk away. When the blond finished he felt empty but strangely happy and understood.

After a brief moment of silence Bilbo cleared his throat and finally turned his head to look at Ori. “Seems like we’re both idiots”

“Duh”

“I’d like to imagine that it’ll get better from here on though”

“Hm” Ori stated non-committal. “Sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Not really. You’ll see it in the papers anyway, in about…” Bilbo glanced at his wrist watch. § In about two hours tops…so no rush”

The blond drained Bilbo’s cup only to hide his grin. “So bad, huh?”

Bilbo glared at him mockingly. “To be fair it was a team performance, but yeah, messed up. And stop seatling my tea, you git. Get your own!”

Ori actually did get up and got them both some fresh tea before he settled back down on the floor next to Bilbo. Both sipped at their cups in compatible silence, grateful for the company, and watched to sun rise slowly over London.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

Waves of nauseating pain flooded his nervous system every time he took a step forward. Thorin experienced his worst hangover in over a decade and was thus feeling slightly homicidal this morning. Not only had he completely blown all his chances with his PA but had made a total arse out of himself in front of the press too.

He had barely slept this night and he contemplated nursing his hangover further as soon as he got to the office. As for now he would find out todays tube train driver and get him fired and maybe borrowing the ugly purse from the girl next to him, just in case if his stomach couldn’t handle the amount of alcohol in his system. At this moment he was convinced that he would kill everything that would cross his path not fast enough today.

The only ray of sunshine on this grey morning had been that he had woken to a glass of water and some painkillers next to his bed. He couldn’t remember putting them there, but was grateful nonetheless. At least he had been considerate as he finally had stumbled into bed, only to dram himself out again two hours later.

After the excruciating tube ride he managed to make the short distance to the office building in record time but as soon as he entered the corridor that led to his office he felt week in his knees. Taking a few deep reassuring breaths he steadied himself. In a few moments he would walk past Bilbo’s desk which would be empty. No little doe-eyed ginger would greet him with a huge smile and a mug of steaming coffee.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the empty space that was Bilbo’s desk, so he stormed past the entrance to his office, a perfect picture of his grumpy self. Just as he reached the door he heard a gentle voice speak up.

“Good morning, Sir. Are you alright today?” Bilbo sat in his chair behind his desk and smiled fondly at him. And for the first time it left Thorin speechless.

He stood rooted to the spot, his head felt as if it had been run over by a bus and all he could do was gape at the young man in front of him. A wave of gratitude and relief washed through him and made his heart skip a beat. It didn’t make any sense. He had behaved like a boar and had even dared to withhold any form of explanation and yet, there he sat, smiling up at him as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Bilbo looked at him expectantly as he tried to form a coherent sentence.

“I’m a jerk” Well, not his best work, but a start.

A chuckle escaped the ginger’s throat and he had the decency to mask it as a cough. “I beg your pardon, Sir?”

Thorin ran his fingers through his long mane of hair and smirked apologetic. “I’m a jerk and I apologise.” He straightened his back and crossed his arms in front of his chest, suddenly unsure what he should do with his body. “Bilbo…I’m very glad you came back”

The PA smiled. “How about we put it behind us and the next time you kiss me, you bloody well mean it…Sir” Thorin grinned like an idiot. That sounded manageable.

Bilbo got up and pressed a bottle of water and a box of painkillers into Thorin’s hands. “Let’s get you filled in and don’t forget to prepare for the 11 o’clock meeting.” He gave the CEO an once-over and smirked. “Try to get sober until then”

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

“Do you know when Dwalin will be back?” Thorin was leaning against his desk a half-finished water bottle in his hand. Several painkillers had found their way into his system and he started to feel human again.

“Well, I’ve spoken to Balin and he told me that he should be back by the end of next week, though he should consider taking some time off after what’s happened.” Bilbo had left him to his own devices for the better part of the morning but now there was pressing business.

The news about Dwalin had been shocking and he felt horrible for every bad thought he had had yesterday about the other man.

“As unfortunate as his situation is, I needed him for next week” He drained the bottle and threw it carelessly into the bin.

Bilbo watched the casual movement and sorted through a stack of folders he was still carrying. “May I suggest you fill in his protégé Ori for the time being? I’m sure he’ll be more than able, being trained by Dwalin himself and all…”

Thorin nodded in agreement. “I’ll talk to him over lunch. Make the appointment, will you? And Bilbo, I need you to come with me to the 11 o’clock as a keeper of the minutes.”

The PA cocked an eyebrow. “But that’s a board meeting discussing PR…” Insight hit him and he could see Thorin’s intentions. “Oh. Oh! Sure” The ginger smirked. They had to sell the events of last night successfully to the board.

 

As soon as the CEO and his PA entered the room they were greeted with a mixed set of expressions on the faces of the board. It took both of them mere seconds to realise why they were at the receiving end of strange looks; the tabloids on the table gave it all away.

He walked past Thorin and bent over one of the newspapers and stifled a groan. “Oh look, if the lighting wouldn’t be so horrible that would actually count as a fairly decent shot” Bilbo remarked casually as if he would comment on the weather. He waved for Thorin to join him.

Playing along the taller man dutifully walked over and glanced down at the appalling papers. “You look like a deer caught in headlights” At least he had the decency not to wince when Bilbo gave him a sharp kick under the table and kept a straight face.

Sitting down on the head of the table he sent a glare into his assistant’s direction but was only met with a friendly smirk. He sighed inwardly. The kick had been well deserved.

The tension in the room was palpable until Bilbo’s gentle voice piped up again. “Your strategy worked, I guess” He sat down next to his boss getting up a notebook and a pen.

“Strategy? What strategy?”

“A strategy to gain public attention of course, didn’t Mr. Oakenshield tell you about this idea of his?” Bilbo played his part to perfection.

“With the stunt we pulled yesterday we made the front page of various papers…apparently it was successful.”

The tension evaporated from the room momentarily and Thorin couldn’t help the proud smile on his face. ‘Thank you’ he mouthed towards Bilbo, who smiled back at him.   
‘Anytime’

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

Returning late from his lunch with Ori, Thorin was still feeling slightly hung-over but his day had taken a fantastic turn so he found his headache quite manageable.

Bilbo was talking on the phone, hardly taking notice of his approaching boss and looked rather pale. Ori, who had accompanied Thorin shot Bilbo a concerned look. The assistant only shook his head and gave them a half-hearted smile.

Warily the two men retreated to Thorin’s office to further discuss the upcoming weeks of Dwalin’s absence from work.

 

While Thorin and Ori talked business Bilbo was sitting at his desk clinging to his phone and felt horror and sadness piling up inside his heart. He couldn’t even remember them properly, Drogo and Primula. The only things he knew were that they had been friends of Smaug and that they had worked with him a few times. Once he had stayed at their place for a short period while Smaug was on a long coup and Bilbo wasn’t yet trained enough to accompany him.

During his stay both of them had treated him like family. It had been such a nice break from his new reality. Never would he have guessed that they would even remember his name after their short time together. But as fate would have it, they had remembered him, very well in fact.

The friendly woman on the other end of the line called from some hospital in Scotland, telling him that he had been their emergency number. Apparently they had had a car accident and their son was the only one who survived the tragedy.

Bilbo didn’t belief the story with the accident for one second. He knew the world which Drogo and Primula had been living in. He didn’t doubt their death, just he circumstances. What the friendly nurse told him next made his knees grew weak though.

 

 

A few moments after Thorin and Ori had settled into their chairs a soft knock interrupted their conversation. “Come in!” Thorin’s voice boomed through the office.

He had expected the bristling self of his PA but the man who entered had little in common with the Bilbo he had begun to fall for. Apparently the telephone call hadn’t been good news.

Bilbo cleared his throat, hesitant to meet the CEO’s eyes. “Sir, I-I…there is a personal matter. I need to go to the hospital and…” He stumbled over his own words and blushed. Bilbo clearly felt out of his depths here.

The two men looked gobsmacked at Bilbo.

“What happened, Bilbo? Are you alright?”   
“Bilbo, take a deep breath and start over” Both Ori and Thorin started simultaneously. Ori blushed instantly and apologised while Thorin repeated his request steadily.

The younger man wrapped his arms around himself and looked miserable and desprerate. He drew a shaky breath and started over, forcing his voice to stay calm.

“There was an accident and some friends of mine died. Apparently I’m the only one they could reach- we’re not really that close. But they died in a car crash and the only one who survived it is their son. I need to… I need to pick him up and take care of him for the time being.” He struggled through is speech hardly able to keep the distress out of his voice.

Ori gaped at him stunned into silence, worry and sympathy showing on his face. Thorin however looked as if the matter hardly affected him at all. He merely nodded as he listened to his assistant. As Bilbo stopped talking he got up and grabbed the keys to his spare car he kept in the garage beneath the office building.

“I’ll drive you to the airport. You’ll take the company’s jet and no discussion. I’ll arrange the flight schedule on the way”

Bilbo snapped out of his stupor. “No! I-I can manage on my own. That’s not necessary”

But Thorin wasn’t even regarding him with a depreciative glance while he was putting on his coat. Bilbo stared at him wide eyed and Ori struggled with his notion wheather to hug Bilbo or to stop Thorin.

“Sir, I just told you – “ Bilbo tried again.

“The tall man buttoned his coat and looked at Bilbo, a dangerous twinkle in his eyes. “No discussion. Just get your things, Mr. Baggins.” He growled, emphasising Bilbo’s last name.

With that he turned around and left the office, confident that Bilbo would follow him.

Ori got up and pulled Bilbo in a brief but nearly bruising hug. “Call me as soon as you land. I’ll help you with everything. We’ll sort it all out together.” He tried and failed to give him a reassuring smile.

“Call me, Bilbo”

“Okay” Bilbo whispered. He straightened his back and nodded. Not even for a moment did he consider to pull Ori into the web that was the dark world of a thief. He would need to sort things out, fast and quiet. The faster he could get to his new fosterling the better. There was so much to do to keep the little boy safe from a world he didn’t need to know. He had no idea what mess Drogo and Primula had been in, but in this moment he decided that their son shouldn’t be part of it.

Bilbo gave Ori a weak attempt of a smile then he turned on the spot and followed his boss to the car.

“Okay”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter...I'm so looking forward to have Frodo in the story!  
> Till the next time! <3


	12. Auld Lang Syne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music:
> 
> London Grammar / Interlude  
> Helen Stellar / Io  
> The Devil Makes Three / Tow  
> Incubus / Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!   
> Apologies for the long delay.   
> All thanks and glory to my lovely beta-reader! You're the best!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Living his life as a thief had had one major advantage in Bilbo’s opinion. Before he came back to London he had been more or less on his own. There hadn’t been many social obligations in his life. To be fair his life had been much lonelier too, but compared to the state he was in on their drive to Heathrow Airport he almost wished himself back into his old life.

He could forgo the giddy adrenaline rush that came with a heist, but what he missed mostly was the serenity between jobs. Right now nothing in his life was serene. He was tired out from his lack of sleep, he was still madly smitten with his boss and now he was taking a leap in the dark.

What did he know about the needs of a child? As it was, he wasn’t even able to take care of himself properly. He was still struggling with his new life and hardly able to settle into his new identity. How would a child have a place in this mess he called his life?

What would await him in Scotland? It could be a decoy, staged by someone from his past. After all, he _was_ rushing into this, without any idea of what to expect from his journey.

He felt an urgent desire to disappear yet again, to leave all responsibilities and embarrassing moments behind and move on for a second time. Yet, something held him back; a strong pull in his chest, something that wanted him to stay and take care of what was to come.

 _Caught between a rock and a hard place_ his Dad would have said. Drogo usually had smiled and patted Bilbo’s head as he said it. The strolling thought made Bilbo cringe inwardly. He had avoided thinking about his parents for years, it was, even after all this time, too painful. It was a wound deep inside Bilbo’s heart that still needed healing.

For the last past years, Bilbo had been drifting through the world unattached, avoiding thoughts of loneliness and pain, just moving on and on. Coming back to London had changed so much for him. Of course, having relationships, friendly or romantically, was never easy, but he had slowly started to cherish them. Having some sort of patchwork family was noticeable better than being alone.

Having a child around would reopen many other wounds and remind him constantly of his own shortcomings.

If he wanted to create a save environment for a child, he would certainly need to sort out his problems first. Taking care of all those issues, each at a time. The first step was probably to sort things out with his boss. To create fertile soil for whatever direction their weird relationship would take.

This first step wouldn’t be so much of a nuisance if it wasn’t exceedingly hard to look behind the man’s façade. Thorin’s gentleness and sensitivity were varnished by a front of flintiness and rigour.

And yet he couldn’t help but wonder. Was it worth it? There was a high possibility of heartbreak if he chose to act on his affection. So far his life had depended on the accuracy of calculated risks, but never had he had to take his own heart into account.

Bilbo leaned his forehead against the window of the car and tried to focus on the passing world outside and numb the thoughts in his head. Thorin was sitting beside him, carefully watching the traffic, as he steered the car through the busy city.

They obviously were in need of a proper chat, yet both of them were either too stubborn or awkward to approach the subject. Maybe after their faces had vanished from the covers of the tabloids they could attempt to discuss the possibilities of a relationship, but for now Bilbo had to figure out how he could manage his life and provide for a small kid.

The thought pained Bilbo and put a fire to his longing to be with his boss, but Frodo’s wellbeing ought to be his top-priority now.

Thorin clutched at the wheel as he steered the car through the heavy traffic of inner London. Everything was rubbish. He wasn’t able to foresee the outcome of so many things and he never felt equipped with enough sympathy to emphasise with most people. True, there had always been people whom he loved or who were dear to him, but most of them were actually family, so his affection was partially entwined with duty.

Listening to his own heart’s desires was foreign terrain and feeling vulnerable and out of his depths made his skin crawl uncomfortably.

Obviously he wanted the younger man around, felt the need to get to know him better and had a strange, yet reassuring notion that making Bilbo happy could lead to his own happiness. While he was musing and brooding, Bilbo was leaning his head against the window and gazing aimlessly at the passing pedestrians, hardly taking notice of anything around him.

Thorin stole glances at him from out of the corner of his eyes and supressed a sigh. As soon as he had to deal with something emotional, Thorin felt clumsy, just like a boy who was too tall for his age and was stumbling over his own feet. Yet he had learned from a very young age that mixing business with one’s private life was bound to be a catastrophe. He didn’t deem it unethical but unpractical, since Bilbo was working for him, not with him. They would never be able to leave work out of their relationship and that was nothing Thorin wanted.

Maybe clearing their fronts would be a good start. If he was lucky, he’d even find out if there was a chance for them being in a relationship other than work.

Thorin cleared his throat unsure of how to proceed. “Bilbo?”

“Hm?” Bilbo responded and his voice sounded distant, slowly turning his head to meet Thorin’s gaze.

“Is there a chance that you’d go out with me?” Thorin finally asked, feeling fidgety and nervous, keeping his eyes on the road. He’d rather not crash the car before he’d even gotten a chance to hear Bilbo’s answer.

There was a long stretch of silence, occasionly punctuated by the pressing of a horn and the whoosh on bypassing traffic. A sick feeling of dread began sinking into Thorin’s very bones. Almost stumbling over his own words, Thorin added hastily, “I don’t want to pressure you into something, especially after what happened last night. I was just thinking that – ”

“I would like nothing more than to do that.”

An inevitable ‘but’ hung in the air and Thorin quietly waited for Bilbo to continue.

“But I’m about to pick up a scared 5 year old boy whose parents just died in a car accident and arrange a new life for him in a place which is nothing but foreign and strange to him.”

“I’m sorry, I never meant to…”

“I know, I know. It’s just really bad timing. A few hours ago I would have jumped at the opportunity to go out with you.”

“Is that so?” Thorin smirked a little, eyes dancing with mischief.

Bilbo poked his tongue out at him. “It appears that you are quite fitting for the company of a 5 year old.” He remarked dryly.

“Funny.” Bilbo commented drolly, grinning at Thorin. “Look, I know that there is something between us and I’d love to find out what it is. Given the circumstances, would you be willing to give me more time?”

The PA looked sincere and Thorin couldn’t bring himself to deny the other man anything at this point.

“Of course. Take all the time you need to straighten your things out.” Bilbo gave him a grateful smile, eyes crinkling, before they suddenly smoothed out and Bilbo adopted a grave expression.

“Thorin, I don’t want to string you along. I just need to do the right thing now, even though it pains me to do so.”

“Looks like we’re caught between a rock and a hard place.” Thorin smirked as he parked the car at the airports car park.

Bilbo’s head shot up and his eyes grew wide. “What did you say?”

“Well, what I meant was…”

“No, no, what did you just say?”

“Erm…we’re caught between a rock and a hard place?” He repeated, looking sheepishly at Bilbo who had started to laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Bilbo grinned broadly as he climbed out and leaned against the cold metal of the car, waiting for Thorin to join him.

“Will you be joining me?” He shouted as Thorin finally stepped out on the pavement.

“Kicked the whole ‘Sir’-thing, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, well, as soon as we get back to a more formal setting, I’ll get back to it…Sir. So, are you joining me?”

“Obviously. We haven’t been on a plane together for quite a while after all.”

“That reminds me. Why didn’t we take the jet on our trip to New York?”

“That’s because I want Dis to use it, most of the time. It’s hard enough on her to be away from her sons so much, so I don’t see the need for her to depend on commercial airlines. They’re too unreliable. Besides, I know the pilot personally and he’s a good man. I wouldn’t trust everyone with the wellbeing of my sister”

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

It was late in the evening when they finally reached Edinburgh. The jet touched down on the runway and Bilbo was on the phone, telling the hospital they’d be coming to pick up Frodo the next morning.

During their flight, they had hardly talked. Thorin being busy not thinking about their talk before the flight and working his way through papers and Bilbo mainly lost in thoughts and mapping out plans in his head.

The silence that passed between them was not necessarily uncomfortable but both of them secretly longed to breach it. Now that the possibility of a relationship hung in the air it made their interaction even more awkward than before. Their consensual ‘not now’- verdict had turned it into a forbidden fruit.

While Thorin made reservations at a hotel Bilbo was busy trying to get a rental car, both carefully trying each other’s gaze. Acting casual around each other would be much harder from now on.

They stood in front of the door to Thorin’s suite about to bid each other a good night. The knowledge that they were both attracted to each hung in the air between them, making it impossible to think properly.

And then Bilbo closed the gap between them and kissed him with a fierce passion Thorin would have never thought him capable of. Bilbo leaned closer towards him and let broad and calloused hands caress his upper body. One of the hands finally settled on his hip while the other sneaked up to his neck, cupped the back of his head and softly pulled him closer to Thorin.

Bilbo’s hands had found their way to Thorin’s chest and fisted into the material of his crisp shirt. He could feel strong muscles beneath his fingers and almost went crazy from all the heat that radiated from the CEO.

Thorin had to bend down quite a bit to reach his PA’s lips in a comfortable manner, but his crooked position was worth every second that their kiss lasted. Bilbo tasted a sweet syrupy, like cinnamon with a hint of chocolate and a tad of minty toothpaste. And all those little gasps and moans that escaped his lips drove Thorin wild.

He’d love nothing more than to push Bilbo down onto the floor and fuck him thoroughly through the carpet, but figured that, especially after their conversation before the flight, this particular option would be frowned upon and frankly not very classy.

“W-wait!” Bilbo suddenly stammered and pushed Thorin a few inches away. Thorin groaned and nuzzled his head on Bilbo’s neck. “Is this the moment you tell me about the sexual harassment lawsuit you’re going to file against me?”

“Hell no!” The ginger shouted as he started to fumble for the key card to open the door to the hotel suite. As soon as the door sprung open Bilbo leaned back and kissed Thorin again.

Together they stumbled through the door, still snogging wildly. After Bilbo had kicked the door shut, Thorin twirled them around and pinned his PA against the wall.

He pulled both of Bilbo’s arms over his head and held them there with one of his big hands. His other hand started to sneak beneath Bilbo’s dress shirt. While he engaged Bilbo in another breathtaking kiss his free hand trailed lazily over Bilbo’s upper body until it reached on of his nipples.

As soon as Thorin started to tease the tender flesh Bilbo moaned loudly into their kiss. He needed more of this; he needed to feel skin on skin.

Moving his head slightly he broke their kiss gasping for air. “Get it off now, please!” he begged and Thorin complied. He pulled the dress shirt over his lover’s head and threw it carelessly on the floor.

Freeing Thorin’s upper body from clothing as well, Bilbo gave him a little push that made the taller man stumble back, falling down on the mattress of the bed. In a matter of seconds he climbed on top of Thorin, kissing him vigorously.

“This is not a good idea.” Thorin stated breathlessly after a few minutes of passionate kissing. “Can we not talk this through logically, please?” Bilbo asked as he reached for Thorin’s belt. “Besides, I’ve had far worse ideas.” He added cheekily, opening Thorin’s fly.

Thorin hesitated for a brief moment before he propped himself up, beckoning Bilbo to still. “Alright, but then let me do it properly. ” He stated and softly pushed Bilbo off of him and got up. He walked into the bathroom only to reappear a few moments later, triumphantly carrying a lotion bottle with him.

Bilbo’s trousers were now lying on the floor and the PA was in the middle of the bed, smiling wickedly at his boss. “Little minx” Thorin whispered, kneeling on the bed next to Bilbo and caressing his cheek tenderly.

“You’ve still got too many clothes on.” Bilbo complained as he pulled Thorin on top of him. “And you’re talking too much.” Thorin retorted before he reached down between them palming Bilbo’s growing erection. Bilbo moaned deeply, his eyes rolling back and his hands fisted into the sheets. Teasing his PA a little while longer, his other hand fumbled with the cap of the lotion bottle.

“I want you to fuck me, Thorin.” Bilbo’s voice was raspy as he mumbled to words, steadily looking up at Thorin. The CEO swallowed thickly, feeling his own passion and arousal grow. “Have you any idea how incredibly hot you are?” His voice was low and husky.

Bilbo laughed softly as he turned around, presenting Thorin with a view of his glorious backside. Looking back over his shoulder his smile turned vicious. “Please…I want you inside me now!” Thorin could only nod as he hurried to comply to his PA’s wishes.

While he slicked up his fingers Bilbo groaned impatiently. “Hurry up, or I’ll do it myself!” Thorin chuckled and caressed one of Bilbo’s cheeks before he playfully slapped his behind. “Try to relax, will you?”

He carefully eased one finger into Bilbo’s tight heat, cautious and slow as not to hurt the younger man. Feeling assured by the sounds his PA was making he started to inset a second finger and began to scissor them, slowly working Bilbo open.

Urged on by Bilbo, he poured some more lube on his fingers before he finally added a third and fourth, working relentlessly to prepare the younger man.

“Thorin!” Bilbo exclaimed almost sounding angry writhing impatiently beneath the other man. Deeming Bilbo well prepared Thorin eased his fingers out of him.

The moment Thorin’s fingers left him Bilbo mustered all his strength and used the moment of surprise to spin them around in one swift movement. Thorin was now on his back with Bilbo straddling his thighs. Bilbo shot him a wicked grin before he reached for Thorin’s erection and slowly lowered himself onto it.

As he felt Thorin’s member enter himself, he threw his head back in ecstasy and moaned shamelessly. When he was fully seated in Thorin’s lap he stopped to breath for a moment. Thorin used the small break to grab Bilbo’s slender hips with his big hands to steady him.

Still breathing raggedly Bilbo put both of his hands on Thorin’s broad chest to prop himself. His fingers trembled slightly and he was blushing softly. Without thinking Thorin removed one of his hands from Bilbo’s hip and took one of those trembling hands in his own, guided it to his lips and kissed each fingertip gently.

His PA blushed a shade deeper but smiled at him. Bilbo withdrew his hand slowly from Thorin’s grasp and began to caress the older man’s cheek tenderly while he studied him with a fond expression on his face.

Thorin’s content sigh turned into a deep groan as Bilbo clenched his muscles around Thorin’s shaft, reminding him of their current occupation. The younger man fitted around him like a glove and it felt perfect. The smooth skin beneath his fingers was glistening with sweat.

Everything felt amazing and intense. The small trail of kisses Thorin left on his collarbone made his skin burn. The air around them seemed to crackle with electricity and all Bilbo was able to think was how much he wished for it to last and to be part of his regular life.

Bilbo slowly started to move, lifting his hips up only to push down again. Thorin mirrored his movements thrusting up to meet Bilbo halfway.

After one casual trust had hit Bilbo’s sweet-spot, his thighs were shaking as their position took its toll. The PA was a gasping mess, lost in sensation and passion as Thorin attempted to change their position.

They were both kneeling on the bed now, Bilbo’s back to Thorin’s torso. Bilbo clung to the head board of the bed for dear life as Thorin drove back deep inside of him. He met the other man’s thrust as best as he could.

The older man pulled Bilbo closer and bit down on his assistant neck. Bilbo cried out in surprise and ecstasy, not minding that the love bite would bruise badly by tomorrow morning.

Thorin was still deep inside of him and didn’t move. Instead he raised one hand from Bilbo’s hip and let it trail upwards. As his hand reached Bilbo’s nipples he pinched the tender flesh only to caress it mere seconds later. It made Bilbo squirm and writher and he couldn’t help the wanton sounds that escaped him. Caught between bliss and oblivion he wanted nothing more than to take what Thorin gave.

Thorin suddenly pulled back, withdrawing his dick almost completely, only the head remained inside of his assistant, before he snapped his hips forward again. Driving his length all the way back home in one swift movement. The sound that escaped Bilbo’s lips was sweet and greedy and it made the CEO smile.

This beautiful creature beneath him was his and his alone, at least for this night. He had the young man marked and he would show him all the devotion and pleasure he was able to give.

He watched Bilbo lovingly as he stilled his movements again and started to trail butterfly kisses all over Bilbo’s neck and upper back. The young man groaned and gasped, pushing back against Thorin, begging him with his body to move again.

“Please!” He moaned with a raspy voice as he clenched his cheeks around Thorin’s prick. “Please move! I – ahh! – I can’t…” Thorin reached around Bilbo and gave his erection one firm stroke which was enough to finally push his assistant over the edge. Bilbo came with a deep groan shortly followed by Thorin.

Spent and satisfied they lay on the bed enjoying the blissful aftermath of their coupling and the closeness of another human being. After what felt like hours Thorin finally slipped out of him and put a kiss on top of his head before he walked into the bathroom. He returned with a damp towel and helped Bilbo to clean of the traces of their lovemaking.

Laying back down again the CEO pulled Bilbo onto his chest. He held him tight as the PA snugly put his head on his shoulder and started to lazily stroke Bilbo’s side with his thumb. They lay there together in silence, slowly drifting into sleep.

Being the responsible adult that he was Bilbo had snuck out of their suite after Thorin had fallen asleep. He knew that he would encounter the topic tomorrow morning anyway and since the CEO had promised to accompany him to the hospital there was no elegant way out of it.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to sleep he decided that he would investigate a little, only to make sure that he wouldn’t lead his boss into anything dangerous tomorrow. Considering the past few hours he had no other chance than to sneak through the alleys, keeping mostly in the dark, as climbing any buildings was really out of the question right now.

 

Come morning Bilbo hadn’t discovered even the slightest hint of a decoy so he had decided to walk back to the hotel and had crashed a few hours on one of the couches in the foyer. He told himself he wouldn’t want to disturb Thorin’s slumber, but even as he drifted off into a few hours of sleep he knew that he was lying to himself. Thorin, however, had the decency not the raise the topic as he found his PA in the foyer as he was making his way down for breakfast.

At least he had managed to sneak into a small boutique getting them fresh clothes. They had left in such a hurry yesterday that neither of them had had the time to pack anything at all. Freshly showered and dressed in new clothes Bilbo joined Thorin a short while later at the table.

They ate in companionable silence, both dreading the moment they would need to talk about the events from last night.

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

Being in a hospital had always a nauseating effect on Bilbo, the smell and the clinical surroundings made him feel alien. The feeling got even worse as they made their way through the paediatric ward towards the nurses’ station.

At the nurses’ station they were promptly directed into the right direction by a kind looking nurse. Following down the corridor towards Frodo’s room, Bilbo felt his anxiety rise.

There he sat, the small body almost being swallowed by the huge hospital bed. Bilbo jerked back as if he had just hit a solid brick wall. The boy on the bed might be a different one, but the situation felt painfully familiar to Bilbo. His breathing grew shallow and he croaked “I can’t do this, Thorin”

Bilbo felt the desperate urge to lie down on the floor and roll into a ball. Thorin turned around and leaned down to be on eyelevel with the ginger and softly gripped him by the shoulders. “What’s the matter, Bilbo?”

“I can’t do this!”

“Bilbo, right now, there is not so much of an option. What’s wrong?”

“Look, this is too much for me to handle! I lost my own parents and I know from own experience that no matter what I do, it will never be good enough because it won’t bring his parents back. So I can’t do this.” A shaky, almost sob clawed its way from his throat.

To his surprise Thorin wasn’t annoyed as he would have expected him to be, he was gentle and dedicated instead. “Listen to me, Bilbo Baggins. Your past is irrelevant for this little boy. It’s true, you can’t bring his parents back and you can’t replace them.”

He paused, squeezing Bilbo’s shoulder sympathetically.

“I’m sorry, Bilbo, I really am. I offered you my help yesterday and I stand to that promise, all you have to do is ask. Don’t see yourself as his surrogate parent but his parachute. You surely know this better than anyone else, how much he needs someone who can catch him, he’s in free fall, Bilbo. You’ve been there and as horrible as that is, it’s the best thing that could have happened to you right now, because you know exactly what he needs at the moment. ”

“But I’m the most unfit person to take care of a child.”

Thorin snorted, “Have you met me? I’m arrogant, rough mannered... I think you’re looking pretty good.”

Bilbo chuckled weakly.

“Come on, Bilbo. Frodo needs you.”

Bilbo nodded and tried to calm himself down with several deep breaths. “I’ll be there, Bilbo. It’ll be alright.” Thorin waited outside as Bilbo finally entered the hospital room.

“Frodo?” Two huge brown eyes looked at him but the boy stayed silent. “Hi Frodo, my name is Bilbo.”

The little bundle on the bed watched him warily and held onto a small stuffed toy that looked like some sort of horrible mishap between a pig and a bear.

Bilbo sat down on the edge of a chair close to the hospital bed feeling queasy. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk right now…really. I just want to talk to you for a bit, yes?” Frodo’s eyes followed his nervous hand movements before they settled somewhere on Bilbo’s forehead, feigning eye-contact.

The small boy nodded, accepting Bilbo’s attempts at a conversation and hugged the stuffed toy even closer to his chest.

“Right, well, let’s start. Erm…Frodo, do you know what happened with your parents?”

The boy’s eyes filled with tears but he bravely nodded again before he hid his face in the fur of the plush toy.

“Oh Frodo, I’m just…I’m very sorry.” Bilbo drew a shaky breath feeling utterly uncomfortable and lost. “Okay, listen, this is important. Before your Mum and Dad…died, they decided that, should something happen to them, you are to come to live with me. I know, that’s odd, because you don’t know me at all, but believe me, I was close with your parents and liked them very much”

The boy still didn’t say anything. He sat still on the bed, clutching at his toy and looked at Bilbo with big, sad eyes.

“Do you understand what I’m telling you, Frodo?” Bilbo asked softly. He got yet another nod as a response.

“I can’t give you your Mum and Dad back, I wish I could. But I can only take care of you and give you a home, little bird.”

And to his surprise two small arms were stuck towards him, waiting for Bilbo to pick him up.

With Frodo in his arms he made his way out of the hospital room, towards the nurses’ station. “Excuse me, m’am?”

“Oh hello! You must be Mr. Baggins with the brave, little Frodo here. What can I do for you?”

Shifting Frodo onto his left side he attempted a friendly smile at the nice nurse. “Well, I was wondering if there is a home address.”

“You mean for Frodo?” Bilbo nodded. “No, I’m afraid not. They found the emergency contact details, I’m sorry.”

“Okay, I see.” He turned to look at Frodo. “Can you tell me, where you live, Frodo?” The little boy shook his head and pointed towards a small backpack on a chair in his now deserted hospital room. Bilbo glanced at the backpack and was hit by an epiphany. _A different boy but familiar circumstances._

“Have you been living in hotels with your Mum and Dad, Frodo?” The little boy nodded.

“How on earth did you guess that?” Thorin asked gobsmacked.

“Just a feeling…” The former thief answered vaguely. Not that his parents had made him live in the unsteady surroundings of different hotel suites, but as soon as his path had crossed with Smaug’s he had rarely lived somewhere for longer than a couple of weeks. So he knew personally how convenient hotels could be for thieves and other shady personas.

For a brief moment he wondered if he would ever tell Thorin about all this, about what his life had been before they had met. Maybe not now, especially not with strangers or Frodo around, but some day he would.

He put Frodo down and turned to the nurse again, asking for Frodo’s release papers and other formalities.

While Bilbo finished the paperwork Frodo was sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting lounge, clutching his worn-out plush animal like a lifeline and Thorin had gotten himself a cup of nasty coffee from a vending machine.

The CEO was watching his PA filling out forms as a soft something collided with his leg. He glanced down and found a mop of brown curls. He smiled and crouched down next to Frodo. “Hey there, little one. What could we do while we wait for Bilbo to finish? Would you like to read something?”

Thorin had hardly finished his sentence as Frodo nodded frantically and grabbed his hand pulling him towards the chairs. Sitting down, Thorin looked around for something suitable to read to a young child as Frodo put a rather dreary looking book about the universe under his nose.

“So you’re interested in astronauts and planets and that kind of stuff?” Another nod and Thorin took the book out of the small hands. Frodo pulled himself onto the tall man’s lap clutching at the plush animal. As soon as they both were sitting comfortably, Thorin began to read, lulling the little boy with his deep voice and the stream of words that brought them far away from the hospital.

As Bilbo was watching them he felt close to crying. His boss and his new warden were looking perfectly content and for one weak moment Bilbo allowed himself to belief that this was his reality. That this really was his family.


	13. Bedroom Hymns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music:   
> The Wombats / Greek Tragedy  
> Vance Joy / Riptide  
> James Michael / Private Parts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> I know, it took me for ages and I’m terribly sorry for that – life got in the way, life and a lack of inspiration.  
> Since it took me so long to finish this chapter I updated it as soon as I was done, so it’s not beta-read. (Again, apologies)  
> Enough talk - enjoy the new chapter!

The flight back from Scotland had been trying for all of them. The most prominent memory Bilbo could recall was the awkward feeling in his gut that had accompanied him the whole time after Thorin and he had left the hotel after their night together.

They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk about what had happened between them. Yet they were stealing glances at each other when they thought the other one wasn’t looking.

Frodo had remained silent. A little ball of brown curls and tears as he had been clutching to Thorin the whole duration of the flight. He hadn’t said a thing or had shown any indication that he had understood a thing Bilbo had told him after they had left the hospital together.

Bilbo had settled the paperwork and since there hadn’t been any bodies found – yet – there was nothing to be done about a funeral. After that, there hadn’t been much left to do besides calling the airport and arranging the flight back to London.

The glances and the silence remained even during their drive from the airport back to Bilbo’s flat. There had been some attempts at a light conversation but in Bilbo’s defense, the former thief was so occupied thinking about the future to engage in their usual playful banter. Frodo had fallen asleep on the backseat a while back and his soft snoring noises were the only sound in the car.

When they arrived in front of Bilbo’s building Thorin stepped out of the car and helped Bilbo with his sparse luggage. Bilbo took the offered items but stood on the sidewalk looking overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed. Without thinking about it, Thorin opened the backdoor of the car and scooped the sleeping boy up in his arms.

Seeing Thorin with his arms full of Frodo finally shook Bilbo out of his stupor. “You don’t have to carry him” He said as he shouldered Frodo’s small backpack.

Shifting the boy in his arms so that he could carry him with one arm he pulled Bilbo closer to him. He held his PA at arm’s length and looked him in the eyes, smiling softly.

“Bilbo, stop worrying. We’ll find time to talk. Let me carry Frodo upstairs for you. Get a good night’s sleep tonight and after that start to sort things out. I’ll find someone else to pester around while you get settled into your new situation with Frodo.”

The former thief stood rooted to the spot only listening to his boss’ soothing words. “Take all the time you need and then we’ll talk, okay?”

“I like you” Bilbo blurted out and almost instantly clasped his hands over his mouth. Thorin’s answer was a low rumble in his chest that erupted into soft laughter. “I like you too, Bilbo. Don’t you worry about that”.

The climbed the stairs together in silence after that. In front of Bilbo’s door Thorin handed him the still sleeping boy and for a brief moment he looked like he was contemplating whether he should kiss Bilbo or not. In the end he squeezed Bilbo’s shoulder and said his goodbyes, giving Bilbo one last smile before he descended the stairs and drove off.

It took Bilbo a moment to open the door, but then he stumbled through it, kicking it shut behind them. His usually cozy home felt strangely foreign and deserted. He put Frodo into bed and grabbed a few sheets for himself. As he was preparing the couch for the night his thoughts started drifting towards the future and the inevitable changes that were soon to come.

A loud scream pierced through the night, startling Bilbo out of his sleep. The ginger was already half across the living room before his consciousness could catch up with him. Another painful cry and Bilbo was fully awake as he scrambled to make it to Frodo’s room.

The door hit the wall with a loud bang as the former thief opened it with much more force than necessary. He briefly scanned the room for any visible danger before he hurried to the small figure on the bed. Frodo was still asleep but his little body was twisting and turning, agony following him into his dreams.

“Frodo! Frodo, wake up” Bilbo crooned, sitting down on the mattress, softly patting the fragile body, trying to wake the boy and comfort him at the same time. “It’s just a bad dream. Wake up, Frodo” He croaked, voice still sore from sleeping.

At some point Frodo’s eyes snapped open and he frantically looked around, not yet able to distinguish between his dream and reality. A pained whimper escaped his throat and his eyes filled with tears.

Small arms wrapped around Bilbo’s neck and Frodo continued to cry into Bilbo’s shirt. Right now, the ginger felt like crying himself, feeling useless and out of his depths with his hands full of a grieving and frightened five year old. How could he possibly take care of Frodo? How could he give the boy a life he himself had never had? He was used to running and hiding, how on earth should he live up to the expectations of a little child?

His new identity was so fresh he didn’t even feel at home in his own skin anymore.   
This change of events had put everything at risk. And now it wasn’t any longer only his life at stake. It seemed as if his list of responsibilities expanded daily.

Pulling Frodo into his lap he sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall. Bilbo knew that it would be impossible for him to go back to sleep, so he might as well could stay with the boy, who seemed to need company desperately.

They sat through the night together, Frodo wrapped tightly in Bilbo’s arms. Exhausted from his nightmares and the crying, Frodo fell asleep at some point, but Bilbo stayed put, musing about the future.

 

Several sleep deprived nights after their return to London Bilbo found himself on Dis doorstep. At some point he would need to go back to work and during the last few days he hadn’t been able to work out a straight plan for Frodo.

He would never admit it in front of Ori, but his friend had been right from the start, suggesting that he should go to Dis for help. So as some sort of last resort he had dragged Frodo across the city, in desperate need of a talk with the only person he knew who managed a family and a career simultaneously.

Seeing who was standing on her doorstep brought a broad smile to Dis’ face as soon as she opened the door. “It’s lovely to see you two. Come in!”

In the hall she crouched and extended her hand to Frodo who took and shook it reluctantly. “It’s very nice to finally meet you, Frodo. Thorin has told me quite a lot about you!”

At that Bilbo’s eyebrows shot up and at the mention of Thorin’s name Frodo actually smiled shyly. Bilbo hoisted the boy up and together they walked into the living room. He put Frodo down on the large couch and crouched down so he could be on eyelevel with Frodo. “I’ll be in the kitchen just across the hall, having a chat with Dis. You’ll come over if you need anything, okay”

The little boy nodded and Bilbo gave him a kiss on top of the fluffy black curls. He put down the backpack filled with toys, some papers and crayons he had brought for Frodo. “Be good” He said and left, following Dis into the kitchen.

 

Taking a closer look at the PA of her brother Dis frowned. “Good God, Bilbo. You look like you need a stiff drink and it’s barely 10 in the morning. I’m not judging, alcoholism might be common in my family, but it’s a bit over your head, isn’t it?”

“I’m not considering alcoholism, I’m just really tired. And apologies for the short notice” Bilbo answered lamely, accepting the cup of tea Dis handed him.

“Oh, I’ve been there, Bilbo dear” The tall woman stated taking a sip from her own cup. “But enough sweet-talk, Baggins. Tell me, what’s the matter?” She said, smiling sympathetically at him.

Bilbo tried to smile back, but he couldn’t swallow around the lump that was building in the back of his throat. He had feeling like crying since last night.

“He doesn’t talk, he hardly sleeps and he certainly doesn’t want to eat anything I prepare. I don’t know any good schools around here, I can’t find a flat that technically isn’t out of London and has enough room for the two of us and I’m madly in love with your brother!” Bilbo exclaimed, feeling a tad ashamed of his own weakness.

Dis got up from her chair, walked around the table and pulled Bilbo into a bone-crushing hug. When she finally let go of him she smiled wickedly. “I’m sure I can help you with all of those things. Let’s take this step by step, Bilbo”. She took a brief pause and looked at him.

“You’re not in this alone, you get that, right? This is going to be one hell of a ride, but we’ll get through this. You’re both part of the family, aren’t you?”

“Technically I’m your brother’s PA” Bilbo offered weakly. Dis smile only got wider. “Of course, keep telling yourself that. So, about the school issue…”

 

Frodo sat on the couch and hadn’t moved since Bilbo and the tall woman had left. He could still hear their muffled voices from the kitchen but he couldn’t make out what they were talking about. Not that it mattered anyway. He understood that Bilbo couldn’t leave him alone at the flat but moving through the loud and busy city was exhausting and strange.

Bilbo had started to make it a habit to carry him around at least when they were travelling by train. Most of the other people ignored everything beneath their eyelevel so Frodo was constantly pushed or his feet been stepped on. Bilbo had watched only for a few minutes before he had picked up the small boy when they travelled by tube.

It wasn’t that Frodo disliked London per se. The new environment was noisy and foreign and yet it was also entertaining and new. Bilbo had taken him to the zoo and some playgrounds already, what he had enjoyed immensely. But he wished Bilbo wouldn’t try so hard. Frodo couldn’t put his finger on it, but Bilbo seemed so sad when he thought Frodo wasn’t looking, but tried to play it down whenever he was around Frodo.

He liked Bilbo well enough and the nice man whom Bilbo called Ori was really nice too, but Frodo couldn’t think of a way of telling Bilbo what he needed. After all he missed his parents. Every night when he was laying in Bilbo’s huge bed all alone he looked out of the window and missed the Scottish night sky. Here in London he could hardly see any stars at all when he was used to see parts of the Milky Way from out of his window back home.

Home that wasn’t home anymore, he had to remind himself and felt his eyes getting all itchy again.

Every night at bedtime Bilbo would read to him and stayed until Frodo had fallen asleep only to wake up from a nightmare a few hours later. Luckily he hadn’t screamed again as he had in the first night he had stayed in Bilbo’s flat. He knew he should be grateful that Bilbo took good care of him, but he couldn’t help it, he really wanted to have his Mum back.

He wished he would be brave enough to talk again. He longed to ask Bilbo about his parents, or tell him how lonely he felt, how afraid he was. Bilbo would understand, wouldn’t he? Even though Bilbo was a stranger he felt safe and understood when he was with him. Frodo wished to be able to thank Bilbo for being so nice to him and yet, every time he tried to open his mouth he couldn’t force the words out of his throat.

Soon he had to go back to school and everything that was now quiet and isolated would be crowded and loud. He would need to talk in school, he knew that. Otherwise they would think something was wrong with him. But there was no way to overcome the sadness that was keeping him silent.

He glanced down at the small backpack filled with toys Bilbo had put down next to the couch and debated whether he wanted to draw something or play with his action figures as he registered the soft padding sound of approaching footsteps. He expected it to be Bilbo, who had come to pick him up so they could leave. He didn’t bother to look up and kept his gaze down.

“Hi there, I’m Kili. What’s your name?” Frodo’s head snapped up; that wasn’t Bilbo’s voice, not even close! The boy who had just introduced himself looked as if he was about his own age and his smile was infectious.

“You look really sad! Are you sad? Do you want to share my secret chocolate stash with me?” Kili whispered the last bit with a conspiratorial tone in his voice.

Frodo cocked his head at that and eyed the strange boy. Who would share sweets with a complete stranger? The idea alone was ludicrous. Frodo couldn’t help it, but the words left his mouth before he could think about it. “Why do you want to share with me, you don’t even know me”

The other boy – Kili – only shrugged his shoulders not in the least concerned by Frodo’s new found voice or suspicious tone and smiled again. “Fili always shares with me when I’m sad and you look nice and sad, so I want to cheer you up” He grabbed Frodo’s hand and started pulling.

“Come on, mommy’s busy anyway! Fili is upstairs. Let’s have chocolate together and after we can draw something. Mr. Bilbo made some great pictures the last time he was over! He’s fun. What’s your name again” The boy babbled away as he pulled Frodo up the stairs.

“Frodo. My name is Frodo”

 

When Dis and Bilbo found the two boys an hour later the three of them were slouching on the floor, faces smeared with chocolate and shared a piece of paper between them. As they were pouring massive amounts of glitter on the paper they were chatting animatedly and giggling like mad.

“He…He’s laughing…and talking” Bilbo stuttered, his voice down to a whisper, not wishing to interrupt the playing children. Both adults were standing in the doorway taking in the scene and Bilbo started to feel weak in his knees.

Dis smiled happily at her friend and punched him in the shoulder. “Get a grip, Baggins!” Not willing to admit that the strange display of affection had hurt like a bitch, Bilbo refrained from rubbing the sore spot immediately and grinned back.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do, Bilbo. I’ll call the school for you and get an appointment and you’ll do the school run two days a week” Dis said, already typing away on her mobile.

“Dis, you’re an angel”   
“Just for you, Bilbo”

 

……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……

 

Working on weekends had been an issueever since Ori had started working for Dwalin. It wasn’t that he had expected to have much spare time at all in his line of work anyway, but ever since his childhood weekends had been precious to him. The weekends were the only time he could spend freely with his two older brothers, something that had never changed through the years.

With Dwalin stuck in the hospital Ori had hardly been home let alone spend time with his brothers. The absence of friendly faces and his family had started to take a toll on him. The workload wasn’t his only problem. Being in love was hard enough without the heartache of feeling rejected. Not for the first night he regretted his confession made in the middle of the night.

After their conversation in the nightly hospital room Ori hadn’t expected Dwalin to contact him and yet he had secretly hoped for it. The young blond let his head drop on his desk breathing deeply. All he wanted besides a good night’s rest was to be hugged.

Leaning casually against the doorframe to Ori’s office, Dwalin watched the young man typing away on his computer. He had been leaning there for the better part of 15 minutes, still unnoticed by Ori who worked with his back to the door.

Technically he shouldn’t even be here. He should have stayed at the hospital for at least a few more days and yet he had discharged himself today, mainly to go and see Ori. Frankly, the days after Ori’s confession had been hellish. One side of him wanted to take advance of the offer and ravish the blond, the other side – and he liked to think of it as his mature side- wanted to give the young man a proper chance and let him go.

Never in all his musing had it actually crossed his mind that giving a proper relationship a shot might turn out to be a good idea. Ori’s head had just dropped on the desk. Thinking that it might be best to approach the younger man now before the totally overworked blond fell asleep on his desk for good, Dwalin cleared his throat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! ^^


	14. Big Jet Plane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, welcome back!
> 
>  
> 
> Music:   
> Cher Lloyd / Goodnight (acoustic)   
> Bear’s Den / Above the Clouds of Pompeii (I highly recommend this song – I listen to it constantly while I write about Frodo, it’s lovely!)

_The night was gloomy and a brisk wind was blowing as the cold water lapped against his shoes. He was wading through the low river bed of the Scheldt and cursed the coldness in Antwerp at this time of the year. It was just the beginning of October and yet it was freezing cold in the Belgian city._

_Everything around him seemed eerie during the hours of the slowly approaching dawn and not for the first time he turned his head and checked his surroundings._

_“Smaug?” He cried out softly, hoping for a quick response from the other man without alerting anyone else nearby. Not that anybody was actually close by at this time of night. The moment the name had left his mouth he cursed the soft tremor of his voice, giving away his discomfort and trepidation. There was no answer; all he could hear was the soft whisper of the wind that blew over the river. A shiver ran down his spine and he could feel his pulse quicken. Smaug was already 7 minutes overdue, where the hell was he?_

_Glancing at his watch Bilbo straightened his posture and took a deep and calming breath. He had already been on his way to the airport in Amsterdam when Smaug had called him, telling him about their next job opportunity. He had agreed to join in at the end, but only because the planning had already been in motion. Smaug had promised him that it was incredibly lucrative and worth the delay but Bilbo still wanted to go home._

_Well, not quite home, but at least back to America. He sighed deeply taking a look at the neat houses lining along the Gracht (*) thinking back to his last time in London. He hadn’t been **home** for quite a while now. _

_Wading through a river in the middle of the night ant waiting for his partner was tedious and frankly their window of opportunity grew smaller by the minute._

_“Smaug!” He cried out for a second time, aggravation and impatience suddenly creeping up on him. “Shut up!” A husky voice scolded him from out of the shadows and nearly made Bilbo jump out of his skin. He turned around to face the intruder. “Gosh, where have you been? We’re already running behind schedule!”_

_The older man stepped out of the shadows grinning mischievously at the ginger. “Don’t you worry your pretty head, it’ll be fine. Come along now!”_

_“You’re getting careless” Bilbo remarked snarky as he tried to keep up with Smaug’s long strides without making too many noises in the water. The other man however waved the comment aside._

_“Making deals with posh people always requires more...finesse than the regular criminal” Smaug grinned darkly. The way he pronounced ‘posh’ sounded foreign in his blasé drawl._

_Feeling his impatience and aversion grow Bilbo hardly glanced at his partner for his last comment. “I don’t know and I don’t care. I just want to get it over with. I want to go back home” He exclaimed, climbing up a ladder that lead them back onto the street._

_Smaug quickly followed after him, gracefully stepping onto the pavement after Bilbo._

_“Now you’re the one who’s getting careless, having your thoughts already travelling homewards.” Bilbo only frowned at him and changed into some dry boots while Smaug stood next to him waiting impatiently._

_As soon as Bilbo was done he brusquely shoved a small headset into Bilbo’s hands. “Put it on already, will you?”_

_“Sure” Bilbo mumbled hardly suppressing his irritation but put the com in his ear regardless. “Is it working?” Smaug asked and Bilbo could hear his voice twice. He nodded and started to stretch a little, getting his muscles warmed up for the climb that was soon to follow._

_There would be no talking from now on until he had made his way inside. They walked silently side by side and just outside a regular looking storage building. He turned towards Smaug only cocking an eyebrow silently asking ‘Are you sure?’ and the other man gave him a curt nod._

_A moment later Bilbo found himself crawling through a net of air vents that led through the whole complex. They hardly communicated as he was crawling towards his destination._

 

 

_“Are you on your way back already?” Smaug’s voice sounded scratchy over the com._

_“Yeah, well, I’ve got the diamond and the documents. Anything else?” He took a look around inspecting all the other goods in the vault. “No, that’s all. Come back now” Smaug sounded strangely on edge to day, Bilbo realised._

_“Why not take anything else since I’m already in?” Scratching his skin he slowly made his way back over to the air vent though which he had entered._

_When Smaug finally answered he barely contained his anger. “Because we’re stealing something **back** that was used for blackmail **.** Everything else is none of your concern. Get back now!”_

_“Alright, alright! Don’t get your knickers in a twist.” He took a last glimpse of the room before he hoisted himself up again back into the air vent. As he was crouching in the metal tube he secured the bag containing the diamond at his belt. Before he tucked the manila folder into his backpack he took a glance at the cover. Oakenshield – Arkenstone, it read._

_“Smaug?” He called through the com._

_“Are you on your way back already?” The other man answered gruffly._

_“Yes, I am. But tell me, what exactly am I stealing? What’s the Arkenstone?” He started to crawl his way back through the vent._

_“Will you hurry if I tell you a story?”_

_“A story? Is it a good one?” Bilbo huffed, pushing his way forward._

_“It’s a dangerous one”_

_Meanwhile Bilbo had made his way up and was facing a minor setback. The door from the storage room which he had used to change direction earlier was now closed shut._

_Grumbling he reached for his lock pick set. “Listening” Bilbo answered while he was tinkering away on the look, trying to pick it without leaving tell-tale marks on its surface._

_“Well then, our story begins during the last years of world war the second. Money was hard to come by, especially if you wanted to keep your company and a posh family name. So, in insecure times like these, what is durable? Real Estates? No, a house can be easily bombed. The stock market is none-existent. And no one can predict the outcome of the war, which government or which countries are going to win. What to do, what to do?_

_Bet on gold and diamonds. No matter the time, those two things were always valuable. Nobody cares that they are practically useless, but that’s the human race for you. So Thror Oakenshield took the opportunity and worked with a Dutch diamond miner who in turn worked with the Nazis. At the end of the war, the third Reich was down, but the Dutch miner and Oakenshield were thriving and disgustingly rich. The only problem was, that both had bloodied their hands and they knew, should someone discover their secret, they’d lose everything. Being clever, old Oakenshield flogged most of the blood diamonds except one. That’s the one you currently have in your bag and they say, good old Thror went mad over the thing.”_

_Crawling out of the vent next to him Bilbo pulled the com out of his ear. “So we’re stealing the diamond and documents to blackmail them? That’s not really our style now, is it?”_

_“Not quite, William. We’re stealing them back for them”_

_They left the premises as quickly as they came. “But why is the diamond here in Antwerp?”_

_“What better place is there to hide a blood diamond than in the diamond capital itself?”_

_Bilbo pulled the bag and the folder out of his backpack and waved it in front of his face. “Oakenshild, what a strange name”_

_Smaug only grinned darkly. “Strange indeed, and you’ll better forget it after this is over”_

 

 

Bilbo snapped out of his involuntary nap feeling the haunting ghost of his past still linger in the corners of his mind. He grabbed the armrests of the chair he had been sitting in and took several deep breaths. Was that really how it had happened or had it just been a figment of his imagination?

He could remember the whole incident in Antwerp, but back then the name Oakenshield hadn’t meant anything to him. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He remembered having a manila folder in his hands, but he couldn’t recall the name that had been on it.

It had just been a bunch of papers and a sparkly gem for him, nothing particularly interesting. Smaug had told him the story, yes, but he had thought it was just that – a story, made up by his former partner. Blood diamond. How odd to bring something so dark into connection with someone as radiant as Thorin. He shook his head trying to get the past out of his head. It shouldn’t matter to him anymore.

Outside the fogged window the night was cold and everything indicated the fast approaching Yule tide. For a brief moment the image of himself and Frodo celebrating their first Christmas together crossed his mind and made him smile softly. Maybe he would have a nice and proper Christmas celebration this year.

Sighing deeply Bilbo picked up his notebook which had slipped off his lap during his brief nap. He settled back into his chair and propped his feet up on the windowsill. _Just a silly dream,_ he told himself as he started the computer.

So far his search for suitable flats hadn’t come to fruition and falling asleep during his searches didn’t particularly help in that matter either. They needed to move, the sooner the better and yet he didn’t want to run to Dís for help again.

Frodo’s first day in his new school would start come morning and Bilbo had promised to get back to work again. He couldn’t put into words how glad he was that the little boy had finally started to talk to him. Life had been so much easier after that. Being around Kili and Fili had done wonders for Frodo. The small black haired boy was actually looking forward to go back to school, if his rapture of his two newfound friends was any indication to go by.

He reached for his tea cup, took a sip and almost spitting it out immediately afterwards. It has gone stone-cold during his little nap he realised with a rueful expression on his face. Well, one can’t work without tea, so he put the notebook down on the small coffee table next to his chair and got up.

As he was rummaging through his kitchen cupboards hunting down his last proper teabag his mobile rang. Picking up he tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder and made his way over to the kettle.

“Hello Bilbo”

The familiarity of Thorin’s soft baritone voice almost made him drop his mobile in surprise. “Thorin” Bilbo breathed into the phone, unconsciously pressing it closer to his ear.

“Just checking in on you. Are you really going to show up tomorrow?”

“Of course I’ll show up tomorrow” At least he managed to almost sound offended.

“Fantastic. I think your substitute is going crazy already”

“Surprise, surprise” Bilbo mumbled, a soft smile on his lips, as he poured to now boiling water into his cup.

“Cheeky. Anyway, I think we have some sorting out to do”

Adding a splash of milk Bilbo groaned inwardly. “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way”

“Dis told me you were looking for a new flat”

That actually took the former thief by surprise. “That wasn’t the kind of sorting out I was thinking about”

“Bilbo, forgive me for being blunt, but it’s rather obvious that we fancy each other. Rushing into things normally isn’t my…style and not particularly advisable in my line of work” Despite his kind tone Bilbo couldn’t help but noticing Thorin’s rather businesslike approach.

“Rushing into things – is that how you call kissing your employees in front of the press?” His last comment was met with a warm chuckle.

“Let’s say you make me want to do stupid things, by which I don’t mean that I actually regret kissing you. Even if it was closer to assaulting you. I apologies again.”

“All said and done but what about, well, erm…the night in Scotland?” Blushing madly Bilbo cursed himself for being obnoxious.

“Bilbo…that night was wonderful” He could almost feel the other man’s desperation through the phone.

Dreading the answer to his next question he sighed deeply. “But?”

“But?But I would like to help you sort your things out before”

“Before what exactly, Thorin?” Bilbo asked teasingly.

“Gosh, Bilbo, I would like to pursue a romantic relationship with you rather sooner than later, but there are certain things to consider” Thorin more or less barked back.

Bilbo couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his mouth. “I’m sorry, but I’m impressed at how you can make it sound so technically. Let’s try this again. You mentioned something about someone fancying someone. Care to elaborate on that?”

The low chuckle on the other end of the line made his belly flutter. “Are you sure you would like to take a closer look on the possibilities before you have sorted out everything else?”

“Well, I’m working for you after all. Having a crush on my boss could be considered to be unprofessional”

“You’re incorrigible! I just want to help you”

“No, I’m just not used to…look, I usually have to handle problems on my own”

“That’s great, but Dis will gut me alive if I’d let you. From the moment you stepped over the threshold of Dis’ house for the first time, she claimed that you’d be a part of the family now. I guess you’ll just have to learn to live with that now”

“I guess there is a reason people are afraid of your sister after all” Bilbo leaned back into his chair and tilting his head back he looked up at the ceiling. “Anyway, the whole helpfulness is a bit spooky for someone like me”

There was a short silence from the other man. “Is that why you could guess Frodo’s former living arrangements ad sort of lifestyle from before the accident? You never told me how you were acquainted with his parents for that matter”

The sudden change of topic threw Bilbo off completely. He had thought about the possibility of Thorin actually asking him particular questions about his past and all, but so far he hadn’t found a good answer.

“Ahm”

“Eloquently put, Mr. Baggins. Are you trying to hide something?” Thorin’s voice was playfully teasing and Bilbo couldn’t help but wonder how Thorin could hit so close home without realising it.

“No, nothing?”

“You’re a terrible liar, are you aware of that?”

 _I used to be great at deceiving others, thank you very much_ Bilbo thought with a hint of annoyance and injured pride.

“I don’t want to lie to you. But there are certain things I’m not willing to share with everyone”

He could picture Thorin’s sceptical expression, cocked eyebrow and all. “I’ve actually read your CV quite thoroughly, and yet there is nothing in it that comes even remotely close at indicating some of the things you know or can do. Care to elaborate?” He finished mockingly.

“Certain things? What on earth are you on about?”

“There’s a difference between simple magic tricks and pick-pocketing that even I am aware of. Or the dry-cleaning incident in your first week” Thorin started to numerate.

“Dry-cleaning?”

“Funny, that you can’t remember that. You said that the concierge let you in on that day, but as it happens he hadn’t been around the whole day. Any comment on that?”

“Erm” Bilbo uttered unintelligible, fully taken aback.

“Are you going to be a liability, Bilbo?”

“That’s the most romantic question you ever asked me” Thorin chuckled again at the other end of the line and Bilbo blushed, mentally patting himself on the shoulder for his wit.

“I guess you’re right. Let me rephrase that: Can I trust you, Bilbo?” The sincerity in Thorin’s voice made Bilbo cringe.

“My life before you got to know me is of no concern to you. It doesn’t affect me now, not my work for you or my...family”

“That doesn’t answer my question”

“I can’t tell you whether you can trust me or not, Thorin, that’s not for me to decide”

“Point taken, and yet I’m still interested in your past”

Bilbo groaned inwardly, feeling cornered. He really didn’t want to lie to the other man, after all he had started to care deeply for Thorin. But his past was his past and it should stay there. After all, not telling Thorin about his former career meant to protect him from his past.

Taking a deep breath he steadied himself. “Please don’t make me tell you, I really don’t want to tell you a lie”

“Will you promise to tell me eventually?”

Cursing inwardly Bilbo decided to give in and nodded. “Yes, I promise”

There was silence between them for a long moment. “Thanks, I understand that it must be hard for you” Bilbo didn’t reply only nodded, knowing that Thorin couldn’t see him.

“Anyway, I don’t want to keep you awake any longer. I’m looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow. I’ve missed you” The last part was mumbled and a hint insecurity had found its way into Thorin’s steady voice. Bilbo’s face split into a huge smile instantly.

He could feel his cheeks heating up and something deep inside his belly felt immensely satisfied. “I’ve missed you too. And Thorin? Thank you for everything”

“Always a pleasure, Mr. Baggins”

The call ended and Bilbo took a sip of his tea only to curse vividly afterwards. Just as the first cup it had grown cold again.

 

......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo......

 

The small black haired boy took a few insecure steps towards the school building and then stopped. He turned back, Bilbo was still crouching where he had last hugged Frodo goodbye. The ginger smiled broadly at the boy and opened his arms again. Without thinking the small boy just jumped back into the embrace.

“Bilbo. Bilbo, what do I do when I mess up? What do I do when I can’t...you know..fit in?” Frodo ask, his voice heavy with insecurity. “Oh darling and what would happen if you fly, my little bird? Everything will be fine. You’ll have Kili and Fili with you. No need to worry. And before you know it, I’ll be there to pick you up again”

“But”

“I know, little bird, it’s horrible. First days always are. It’ll get better with time, it always does. I promise!”

“Frooodoooo? Can you hear me?”

“He’s hugging Mr. Bilbo, Kili, he isn’t deaf!”

Frodo turned his head to smirk at his friends. He pressed a sloppy kiss on Bilbo’s cheek before he squirmed out of their embrace and jumped over to the two waiting brothers. “I’ll see you tonight, little bird. Take care, you two rascals!”

“Bye Bilbo, I’ll miss you!”

 

......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo......

 

Later that day Bilbo couldn’t help but feel utterly delighted and relieved; the first day had been a success. During dinner Frodo had talked and talked making a mess of the table but Bilbo had listned happily anyway.

Apparently school was great, sitting next to Kili was even greater and playing dodge ball with Kili and Fili during break was the greatest.

After he had put Frodo to bed Bilbo treated himself to a nice glass of white wine. His first day back at work hadn’t been too bad either. Thorin had handed him an exposé of a flat in Thorin’s building that would soon be empty as it so happened. Since he knew that this couldn’t be a simple coincidence he had asked Thorin about it, but the other man had merely shrugged his shoulders and affirmed him that money could indeed settle many problems.

So, moving houses would be in progress in the following week and Ori was out having fund with Dwalin as far as Bilbo knew. Feeling content he picked up his glass of wine and the book he was reading and settled into his favourite armchair.

Engrossed in his book Bilbo didn’t register the soft padding steps on the parquet floor. “Bilbo?” His head snapped up and his green gaze was met with a pair of brown sad eyes.

“Frodo, why are you still up?”

“I miss her” Frodo offered as tears were already streaming down his chubby cheeks. Hurriedly Bilbo put down his book and walked over to the small boy.

“Miss your momma?” Frodo nodded, tears still running silently over his little face. Bilbo picked him up and held him tight, crooning comforting nonsense.

“Hey, little bird, I wanna show you something. Feeling up for a little adventure?” He could feel Frodo nodding against the crook of his neck. Picking up a blanket from the couch he left the living room through the kitchen and opened the balcony door.

“Little one, I’m gonna need both of my arms. Can you hold on really tight?” Bilbo asked, already seizing up the facade, throwing the blanket over his free shoulder. “No need to be afraid, but we’ll do a little climbing together, okay?”

“Yeah” Frodo mumbled and nodded again, clutching to Bilbo’s side.

Checking the little boy’s grip Bilbo decided that it would do and carefully started to climb up the brick wall towards the flat roof of the building. Halfway up he took a briefe pause and wrapped one arm around Frodo, steadying their combined bodyweight with his legs against one of the upper windowsills. “Alright there?” Frodo nodded and smiling a little, his cheeks already flushed from the brisk air.

“Great, let’s do the last bit.” Bilbo said and started to move again. While they climbed higher, getting closer to the roof, Bilbo mused about the absurdity of the situation. Of course he was aware of the fact, that getting a small child on top of an unsecured roof was a stupid idea and the educational value of it was quite doubtable. Still, he wanted to help Frodo ease his mind and this was, at least for now, the only way he knew how to achieve that.

Moments later, they sat on the roof looking up into the sky, Frodo on Bilbo’s lap wrapped in the warm blanket. “It’s a shame that you can’t see the Milky Way in London...or many stars for that matter”

“But it’s sooo big! Can we go stargazing sometime? Please?”

“Sure thing” Frodo cuddled closer to his chest, still looking up at the night sky. “Are you still feeling lonely?” He looked at Frodo who nodded slightly. “You know, Frodo, your momma and papa are somewhere up there in the sky together with my mum and dad. So they are not alone”

Frodo turned his head to look at him, giving him a little smile. “Just like ups, Bilbo, right? I have you, so I’m not lonely”

“Exactly”

 

 

Standing at the edge of the roof Bilbo and Frodo both glanced down at the balcony two levels below them. “You know, Frodo, we’re on a roof” The boy nodded in agreement looking up at Bilbo.

“People don’t climb on roofs, do they?”

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly while holding Frodo’s tiny hand in his other Bilbo replied, “No, people don’t climb on roofs, you’re perfectly right”

If the little frown on Frodo’s face was anything to go by the boy was thinking serious thoughts. “But you climb on roofs!”

Hitting himself mentally Bilbo started to get them ready for their climb down. “Well, yeah, I do” He answered carefully.

“So, I shouldn’t climb on roofs?” The boy asked and wrapped himself around the ginger again. “Yeah, really, please don’t” Bilbo told him and started to lower them.

“Can we do it again sometime though?” The boy sounded hopeful and Bilbo could feel the smile in the crook of his neck.

“Erm..yeah, I guess. I don’t see why not”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're at the end again.  
> I really hope it all makes sense - the plot bunnies in my head are somethimes too fast to put into words properly....  
> Oh yeah, 'the talk' between Dwalin and Ori will be in the next chapter...it didn't quite fit in here.   
> Have a nice day ~~~


	15. Christmas Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow finally finished. It took me forever since I changed it so many times and I’m still not happy with it. 
> 
> Music:   
> Lera Lynn / Wolf like me   
> Pink zebra / Larger than life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really weird writing about Christmas in June. I had to listen to several Christmas Songs and sat by my laptop with hot cocoa (30C outside).
> 
> On a different note: I’ll go back over the chapters that I’ve already posted, I’ve noticed quite a bunch of mistakes that I wanted to fix (so in case you have found some, I’d be glad if you could point them out)

 

The hours had crept past him as he sat hunched over sheets filled with numbers at his desk. Said desk was overflowing with documents, folders and other work related things ever since Dwalin had been committed to hospital. So far his focus had only shifted away from his task to refill his cup with more coffee, determined to get most of his work done before he returned home tonight.

Even in his concentrated state however he had noticed the tall looming figure that prowled about his office for quite some time now.

Ori leaned back in his chair, regarding the older man standing in his doorway, a smirk spreading on his face and a sudden feeling of flippancy rushed through him. Dwalin, who had finally realised that he had in fact been spotted, had at least the decency to look ashamed.

Silence started to stretch between them as they just regarded each other, both of them waiting for the other to make a first move.

“Hey” Dwalin offered lamely only to break the rather uncomfortable silence of the room. Feeling a pang of insecurity he shoved his hands deeply into the pockets of his denims and frowned. Ori kept looking at him in bewilderment.

“You should be in a hospital” The young blond finally said, a small smile on his face.

That apparently made Dwalin frown even more if that was by all means possible. Trying to make a point he took a moment to look casually at his watch. When his eyes met Ori’s he was smirking.

“And you should be at home. Looks like we’re both at the wrong place at the wrong time” He shot a quick glance filled with longing at the coffee on Ori’s desk. Since he’d been in hell or hospital how other people tend to call it, he hadn’t been allowed to have any.

Now it was Ori’s turn to put a frown on his face as he got up and walked around his desk. “Speak for yourself. What are you doing here?” He asked filing away some of the documents he had been working on.

“I came for you. Well, I need to talk to you” Dwalin muttered, sounding rather angry. He had never been a man of many words, but at some point in his life he had been a tad more eloquent than this, he was sure.

Ignoring the slight jab inside his chest and a more happy feeling bubbling up in his stomach Ori leaned back against his desk, waiting for the other man to explain himself. There was no use for him to jump to conclusions, was there?

Dwalin, who was frowning again due to his lack of eloquence didn’t look willing to offer an explanation just yet.

“You could have called” Ori pointed out, tilting his head to the side, regarding the other man.

Clearly unhappy about the course their conversation was taking, or not taking, Dwalin glared back. Silence dared to settle between them again and Ori felt fatigue tugging at the corners of his mind. He wasn’t in the mood for games or guessing, all he wanted was a straight statement. Some turning point in this disaster would be nice. At the rate their conversation was going however he’d be stuck in the office for quite some time and he’d planned on having a good night’s sleep tonight.

Shaking his head softly he pushed himself up from the desk and walked over to Dwalin. He put one hand on the other man’s arm squeezing it gently. “Come on, we can take a cab back to the hospital and talk on the way”

He tried to push past Dwalin to get to his coat but Dwalin reached out and got hold of his arm instead.

“Ori, wait. I really want to talk about the other night when you came visiting me. Now” He emphasised the last word, still sounding angry.

Dwalin could feel how Ori froze up at his words and a faint blush started to creep on his cheeks. “What about it?” The smaller man asked cautiously, suppressing the urge to yank his arm free from Dwalin’s grasp, or pressing closer. He wasn’t sure which option was more appealing at the moment.

“I don’t do relationships” There, he said it! Maybe not the way how he had intended to let Ori down, but that should do it anyway. At least now he sounded a bit like his former self again, even if it made him feel despicable.

It took Ori a moment to regain his composure again as he gaped at the taller man, his blush intensifying.

“I wasn’t asking for one” Voice steady Ori looked back up; ready to take on everything Dwalin would throw in his way. After all he had had three years to prepare this moment. Maybe he could stop by Bilbo’s place and raid his freezer– the ginger tend to have it fully stocked with ice-cream - in case he couldn’t quite cope with the letdown like a grown up .

“You...what?” Feeling completely taken aback Dwalin found he was at a loss or words again.

Shrugging with his shoulders Ori glanced at him, looking almost guilty with a sheepish expression on his face. “I told you about my feelings, yes. Doesn’t mean I want to have a relationship with you though”

Shaking his arm free from Dwalin’s hold he walked over to get his coat and woolly scarf from the rack. “And as you aren’t interested in me, it would be nice if you’d let me leave now. Save a bit of my dignity and all”

Rubbing his temples to rein in his temper he almost growled at Ori. This was really not going the way he had imagined it. Still haunted by the distinct sting of insecurity Dwalin crossed his arms over his impressive chest, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

In the meantime Ori was putting on his coat and wrapped the scarf around his neck, shooting Dwalin irritated glances. Neither of them was speaking as the smaller man, now fully dressed and prepared to face the cold winter outside, padded over to his desk to switch off his computer.

Looking for his mobile Ori finally lost his patience with the silence and demeanour from the other man. He shuffled through a stack of papers rather aggressively, hoping his phone would just magically appear. He wanted to escape this whole mess rather sooner than later. And he would definitely stop by Bilbo’s freezer!

“For the love of God, Dwalin, you’ve made your point! You don’t fancy me, I got it. Don’t just stand there in my office! Can you please leave me alone now?” He more or less spat out as he made a very efficient mess on his desk.

“You’ve got it all wrong, cub” Dwalin growled and glared at Ori again, just for good measures before he went on.

“I fancy you a great deal, but that’s not the point! I’m trying to be the bigger man here! I’m letting you go!” He huffed; annoyed that he had to draw it out in total for the smaller man. Emotional talk definitely wasn’t his forte.

Ori stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him flabbergasted. “What exactly do you mean with _letting me go?_ ” He enquired with a hoarse voice.

Suddenly feeling a bit nervous Dwalin shuffled with his feet, gaze still trained on Ori. This was important he knew it, but he couldn’t help the notion of him behaving like a little schoolboy. It made him angry and irritable. He knew he needed to make it right, no matter how much he wanted to give in to his weaker self and just leave the other man behind. He took a deep breath and braced himself.

“I don’t want to see you go to waste. You’re young, exceedingly bright and stunningly beautiful. In my opinion you deserve more than a casual fling, but I’m not sure if I can give you that. I see your potential and I don’t want you to waste all that on me” He finished with a voice softer than Ori had ever heard him talk before. This peculiar little venture into the depths of his emotional world felt like a punch in his gut but the small smile that tugged at the corners of Ori’s mouth made it somewhat bearable.

Instead of yelling at him or leaving, Ori started laughing. He really should feel offended, but he couldn’t bring himself to care – he just liked the sound of Ori’s laughter.

“Jeez, you’re the greatest fool I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet! Ask me out on a date already!”

Why would Ori blow his careful warning in the wind? He had opened up to the smaller man and all he got for his effort was... _Oh._

“Fine! You know what, you insolent brat? Have it your way then! Ori, from the deepest depths of my heart, will you please go out with me, pretty please with cherry on top” He growled, feeling flustered and somewhat amused at the same time.

“Still smiling Ori tilted his head, mocking to be in deep thought.

“No”

“Come again?” Truly surprised he starred at Ori. The young blond surely would be the death of him. Ori however didn’t look irritated in the slightest and was still smiling at him.

“Woo me!” He stated rather matter-of-factly looking innocently up at Dwalin.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“No, I’m not. I had three years to picture this moment and I’m a hopeless romantic. You can work your way up from there. Otherwise you’ll only say I blackmailed or guilt-tripped you into a date”

Having made one hell of a mess of his desk Ori finally reached down picking up his satchel and made his way over to the door. When he was on level with Dwalin he stopped, facing the older man, a shy smile on his lips. He quickly leaned in and gave Dwalin a coy peck on the cheek before he hastily retreated to the relative safety of the hallway.

He waved back at the older man, shy smile still on his face. “I’ll see you around, Dwalin. Go and get some rest, will you?” And then he was gone.

Feeling suddenly several years younger but terribly drained and tired Dwalin could only nod and try his best to hide the goofy grin that started to spread on his face.

 

 

The weather in London was grey and unfriendly when he stumbled through the city. Not surprising for this particular time of the year but still, Bilbo hoped for snow like he did every December, no matter where he was. Everything would be better than cold rain and grey mush on the streets.

When he had been quite young and his parents still alive they usually had him taken to the mountains where they had spent their time trying to teach him how to ski. Not that he had actually managed to master the sport, sadly not, but the snowy mountain-sides, the all-embracing silence and the pure whiteness of the snow had made a lasting impression. Winter had always been his most favourite season as a child. Throughout December the air in their small cottage would be filled with the smell of the delicious biscuits his mother was baking and his father would spend his evenings reading to Bilbo in front of the fireplace.

Over the past years he had to realise that he slowly had started to forget several of his mother’s most cherished recipes but he would forever know her Christmas backing by heart.

Smiling fondly he wrapped himself more tightly in his scarf and hurried on. Maybe he could take Frodo skiing sometime too. They needed some traditions of their own after all, especially for Christmas.

He was pulled out of his musing rather abruptly as someone bumped into him – again. Steadying himself he tried not to snarl at the other man who had knocked the wind out of his lungs. The people around him certainly weren’t watching were they were going. This was at least the fifth time someone had barged into him today.

Thorin had him run his Christmas errands and with him half of London’s population was also hunting for presents. His list was long and his arms grew heavier by the minute while he rushed from store to store, dodged fellow shoppers and tried to collect all the bits and bobs from his list.

They still needed to sort through the mess that was their relationship but for now they had arranged some sort of ceasefire. At least now was not the right time. Frodo and his well-being were on top of his list of priorities and then he needed to struggle through the whole process of moving houses. So no time for relationship talks at all.

As it had turned out the exposé Thorin had handed him the other day wasn’t exactly in the same house as his boss’s flat but a bit down the street. Still fairly close though. The fact that Dis and the boys wouldn’t be far away was somewhat of a blessing too.

Technically he wouldn’t be able to afford a place like this, not on the salary of a Personal Assistant but he’d make up some sort of inheritance background story to help him along. Maybe it would make him even more suspect in Thorin’s eyes but from the moment he had first stepped into the apartment he had fallen in love with it.

When he had been standing in the middle of the spacious living room he had been overwhelmed by a feeling of homecoming. The apartment had been bare and was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint but he could already picture it.

The flat consisted of a large living room that bordered at an open kitchen and a balcony, a roomy bathroom and three bedrooms. One room would go to Frodo who had already expressed some plans and wishes for his new room. One would be his own bedroom and the last one he’d use as a study but would also house the occasional overnight guest.

He still needed to take a closer look at the vicinity of the flat, checking for possible threats and vulnerability. Even after months of inactivity he couldn’t quite suppress the instincts his former lifestyle had moulded. Nothing bad should ever happen to Frodo again, not as long as he could help it.

After he had signed the contract things had happened faster than he would have liked. The landlord of his old flat was happy to let him leave the apartment earlier and didn’t mind the three months notice of termination. Apparently one of his children had just come back to town looking for a place to stay.

At the moment painters were in the new flat giving it a new coat of paint. He had chosen a variety of soft and warm colours with the exception of Frodo’s room after he had witnessed a quick exchange between his boss and the little boy.

_Thorin was sitting on the floor of his office with Frodo on his lap when Bilbo returned with fresh coffee and some folders._

_“What do you think about the new flat?” He could hear Thorin asking._

_“It’s empty?” Frodo piped up, smiling toothily at the man._

_“Apart from that?” There was a brief moment of silence when Frodo considered his answer._

_“I like it. The windows are huge” He abruptly turned to face Thorin, his face pulled in a frown. “Do you think Bilbo will let me paint it blue?” The small voice was heavy with honest concern._

_“Paint what blue?” Thorin asked with a hint of confusion._

_“My room”_

_“Well, let’s go find Bilbo and ask him, shall we?” Thorin said putting Frodo on his feet he got up from the floor as well. Catching sight of said ginger leaning in the doorway made him smile softly._

_“Found him” He whispered conspiratorially to Frodo, pointing at the door. The little boy squealed in delight and bounced towards Bilbo._

_“The flat you picked is really nice, Bilbo! Can I paint my walls blue, please?”_

 

When he had taken Frodo home after that he caught himself imagine his life together with little Frodo. The feeling of settledness overwhelming but he couldn’t bring himself to feel frightened of the idea. For weeks now his vigilance had slackened but now he took it as a good sign. Maybe he truly could leave his past behind after all. Frodo, so it seemed, was giving him a new chance at a normal life, however paradoxical as that might felt.

 

A wind had picked up now and Bilbo hurried into the closest shop to get some warmth back into his body. Fatigue gnawed at the corner of his mind and he had to suppress a wholehearted yawn.

Not only was he supposed to pick up gifts for business associates but for family members as well, what made it rather tricky for the PA. Feeling particularly benevolent Thorin had supplied him with a list of names, but instead of palpable instructions he had only written vague ideas for presents next to the names. Nothing that was really substantial or helpful for Bilbo to work with.

Checking his list again he had to stifle a desperate moan – way too much people still left. Wandering through the brightly decorated shop he realised that he felt as content as he hadn’t felt in quite a while. His life might have taken an odd turn and there were still several aspects that he needed to fix but all things considered he was happy.

Frodo had filled a void in his heart he hadn’t known existed before they had struggled through their first days together. Seeing Ori on a daily basis made him remember his university days and gave him a steady feeling of familiarity and he cherished his old friend above all else. And then there was Thorin. Their situation might still be unclear and tricky, but at least he knew that there was _something_ between them. Something that had the potential to develop into something _more._

Forgotten were his wanderlust and his thirst for adventures. At least for now, he told himself. Now he wanted to build up a proper life for Frodo and him, maybe he would even take up gardening just like his mother used to.

Sighing contently he decided that he’d treat himself to a cup of tea in Bombur’s café after he’d completed his shopping. He hadn’t visited the baker for quite some time now and he longed for a piece of his delicious cheesecake.

When he finally reached the small bakery he had still some names on his list but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He needed a nice, hot cuppa, now!

Packed with all his bags and parcels he struggled to make it through the door and as he stumbled through, the small bell above it rung madly and he fell flat on his face. His shopping went flying and scattered on the floor.

Almost instantly the massive baker jumped to his side and helped him up while some of the other patrons helped picking up his things. Bilbo’s face was still burning with shame as he claimed a seat close to the counter and ordered his usual cup of tea and a slice of the highly praised cheesecake.

“Having a rough time?” Bombur asked from behind the counter where he was already busy preparing Bilbo’s tea.

“Wish I could say no” The PA answered truthfully as he peeled himself out of his coat and scarf. He slipped on the chair close to where Bombur was working and gave the baker a grateful smile.

“Who waits for his Christmas shopping until the middle of December anyway?” He mumbled as he accepted the cup Bombur was offering him.

The stout man glanced out of the window of his café and watched the busy ado on the street. “Seems like you and the rest of the city decided to go on a shopping spree today. Good for business though” He added as an afterthought when the door to the bakery opened again.

As Bombur tended to the new customers Bilbo indulged in his cake, cherishing each bite of it and wondered if it would be greedy to order a second one.

While he sipped on his tea he took out his list again and a huge grin spread on his face. He felt something warm tugging at his heart. There were the names of Thorin’s nephews and right underneath it written in Thorin’s immaculate handwriting stood _Frodo._ The little boy had taken to Thorin right from the beginning and as it seemed his boss was quite smitten with the boy as well.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel offended by the fact that his own name was nowhere to be found on the list but he pushed the thought aside. What would he want from Thorin for Christmas anyway?

Ignoring the little voice in his mind that told him that he already had his gift for Thorin wrapped up in the back of his wardrobe he took another sip from his tea. What did it matter when he simply enjoyed gift-giving?

Bombur was still busy when he had drained his cup so he left enough money on the counter to cover his check. He slipped off his seat and went over to retrieve his coat.

With one last wave at the baker he left the warmth of the little café, determined to finish the shopping within the next two hours. A few streets over he found himself wandering through the toy aisles of a promising shop, searching for suitable gifts for Fili and Kili. He really counted himself lucky that his own Christmas shopping had been concluded since last week even though he might have gotten a bit overexcited with Frodo’s presents.

He had been with Ori who had talked constantly about his latest encounter with Dwalin so he hadn’t felt too bad when he had made his friend help him carry all the bags and parcels.

Thorin had only put question-marks behind the names of his nephews and Frodo on his list to indicate that he was at a loss of ideas. So if fell to Bilbo to think like little boys with an arsonist streak and ask himself what he’d like to get for Christmas.

Some aisles later Bilbo deemed himself successful as he loaded some pieces into his trolley. _Who wouldn’t just love THAT?_

Waiting in line at the check-out he realised that the boys had been the last ones on his list and that he was truly finished. He made his way back to the office, being lucky enough to actually hail a cab, not willing to take the tube when the whole city was on its feet.

 

As soon as he got back to the office he made his way up directly to Thorin. He actually knocked at the door before he entered the other man’s office.

The tall man sat behind his massive bureau hunched over work and hardly looked up as Bilbo gracefully dumped his shopping on the table.

“And what would that be?” He enquired whilst signing a piece of paper, barely concealing the amusement in his voice.

“Those are your lovely handpicked Christmas presents. For your information, you chose them with devotion while you got blisters on your feet from the massive amount of walking you did as you hunted for them in the city” Bilbo replied hardly trying to suppress the soft mocking tone or the smug smile on his face.

The CEO decided not to grace so much insolence with an answer. Instead he pushed his documents aside only to pull one of the bags closer. “After you’ve rummaged through the bags and find the content wanting I’ll wrap them up” Bilbo informed him leaning against the desk, fatigue written all over his face.

Thorin nodded and started to rummage through the bags.

“Would that be all?” The ginger asked exhaustion clear in his voice.

Thorin was about to dismiss him when his eyes caught an item of interest in one of the bags. He fished it out and shot Bilbo a stern look, who merely cocked an eyebrow in return.

“Do you really think it wise to arm my nephews?” He finally asked holding up a monstrosity made from synthetic material.

“If anything, I’m arming them with _toy_ weapons – That’s a NERF gun, not weapon grade plutonium” Bilbo deadpanned, but walked around the desk to inspect one of the toy guns.

“What would you rather give them for Christmas? Dwalin mentioned some rather ugly jumpers from last year...”

“They were traditional...” Thorin grumbled still eyeing the toy gun with suspicion.

Bilbo merely replied with his laughter that sounded like little bells to Thorin’s ears and made him feel warmer around his chest.

“If you’d like me to get them a more appropriate gift I’d be more than happy to oblige, but until then” He took aim with the NERF gun, voice bristling with mirth. “You should try to enjoy the season” He pulled the trigger and the foam-made projectile hit Thorin on the chest.

“Seriously, Baggins, one of these days...” The CEO began his half-hearted threat but only grinned and gave him a mock salute before he left the office still giggling.

Thorin watched him go, absentmindedly rubbing the spot where the toy projectile had hit him. Even as the door closed behind his personal assistant he could still hear Bilbo snicker and decided that he would have to shoot his PA with a toy gun too before he left today.

_Otherwise that little nag will never learn some manners!_

 

His exceptionally good mood however didn’t quite survive a phone-call from his sister, who insisted that he should invite his PA to their Christmas party. Scrunching up his nose he glared at his phone after Dis had ended the call. Why would she think that this would be a good idea at all?

They had talked about the peculiar state of his ... relationship with Bilbo the other night. Well, she had talked and he had mainly glared at her from across the counter as she had laid out his love life.

He could already imagine Dwalin’s shit eating smile and hear his sisters teasing when he’d actually ask Bilbo to come and join them for Christmas this year. Of course he liked the idea of having Frodo and Bilbo with them, but wouldn’t it be awkward?

His brooding was soon interrupted by a soft knock on his door and said ginger peeked inside. The small man still looked rather tired from his shopping trip but his smile was genuine and contagious.

“Coffee?” He asked as if he could read Thorin’s thoughts.

Thorin merely nodded and flashed him a grateful smile. As Bilbo returned a few minutes later with the steaming beverage he cleared his throat. His sister be damned, he really wanted this.

“Say, Bilbo, do you have any plans for Christmas already?”

 

 

 


	16. The Head and the Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:
> 
> The Cab/ Lock me up  
> Ben Cocks / So Cold

In the days to come Bilbo couldn’t for the life of him tell what had possessed him to agree. In retrospect he would never know why he had actually accepted the invitation to celebrate with the Oakenshield family at some ski resort in Austria. For Frodo however it was the best thing imaginable and the small boy had jumped up and down a big smile plastered on his face when Bilbo had told him.

So Bilbo had only gritted his teeth with determination. If it made Frodo happy to celebrate his first Christmas without his parents but with his new found friends then Bilbo would gladly struggle through every awkward moment that was bound to come his way.

With most of the packing done, Bilbo only had to hire a moving company that would come and pick up their things at his old flat, transport them over to the new one and hopefully would set up the furniture there too. Negotiations hadn’t been easy especially as he needed it done between Christmas and New Year’s Eve but in the end even that had worked out nicely. Now Frodo and Bilbo would only have to return to the new flat after their holiday and do the unpacking. _Small blessings_ , he thought.

After New Year’s he’d take Frodo shopping for missing furniture and other bits and bobs. So far it was the most stress-free moving houses he’d ever been involved with. He wouldn’t even be there to oversee the moving of his things so there wouldn’t be a chance for him to have a fit or fuss over things unnecessarily.

As per instruction from Dis he had booked flights for all of them at the 22nd of December to get them to Austria. They would stay there until after New Year’s Eve, so plenty of time for things to go wrong. As it happened, Thorin and Dis had to work until the 22nd so it was on Bilbo to take care of the children and prepare them for the journey.

Thorin and Dis had dropped him off at the boy’s school and Dis had passed him a key to her house, before they had driven off to attend their last conference before the holidays.

Gathering the boys and all their belongings that were in their lockers (honestly, why did Kili have a cactus in his locker?) it occurred to him that he hadn’t thought about entertainment plans up until now.

Laden with sport gear, books and three boys clinging to his hands Bilbo tried his best not to fall down flat on his face as they marched over to Dis’ house. Normally it was a nice walk of about 15 minutes, today it took them 30.

Howling and cheering the three boys pushed past him as soon as he had opened the door for them and ran straight for the kitchen. _Feeding time_ Bilbo thought as he stored away all the things they had brought home as best as he could.

Coming into the kitchen after the three boys he was surprised to see that they were actually sitting at the table, behaving somewhat but still being incredibly loud. Bilbo however didn’t mind as long as they were occupied, he even turned the radio on to add to the noise level and started to prepare an easy dish for them to have for lunch.

Halfway through his chicken with cheesy mash Fili blinked up at Bilbo, grinning toothily. “Bilbo, can we make some Christmas biscuits?”

Looking up from his lunch Bilbo tipped at his bottom lip mulling over the idea. “Oh please, Bilbo! Ma didn’t have the time to bake with us this year! Please” Kili chimed in and Frodo only nodded frantically as he munched through his meal.

When Bilbo finally nodded his consent all of them were thrilled. In retrospect that should have been a clear warning sign.

 

Covered in flour, the kitchen a mess and shrieking laughter mixed with the occasional loud munching sound, that was how Thorin found them a few hours later. They had about half an hour left before they needed to be on their way to the airport. Dis had gone with Dwalin and Ori and Thorin had been sent to go and pick up Bilbo and the boys.

Leaning in the doorway Thorin tried to be as quiet as possible not willing to interrupt the scene in front of him just now. Bilbo had managed to clean off the boys and had more or less successfully prepared them for their plane ride. Meaning, no more frosting smudged on body parts, fully dressed and hairs partially kempt.

Looking back over his shoulder Thorin realized with astonishment that Bilbo had already set out the luggage of the boys as well. Trolleys and bags neatly piled up next to shoes and jackets, the arrangement clearly carrying Bilbo’s immaculate thumbprint.

The three children sat at the kitchen table happily munching on the biscuits they had just made while Bilbo was still trying his best to tidy up the kitchen in record time.

In contrast to the boys the ginger was still peppered in flour and his hair was a beautiful mess. He even had some green frosting smudges on his cheek. Thorin felt utterly tempted to walk up behind him and steal a kiss, maybe tasting the colourful frosting directly from his PA’s cheek.

All things considered the four of them seemed content and the whole scene was rather domestic under the circumstances. It made Thorin’s heart suddenly feel very heavy in his chest. Bilbo and he really needed to talk about whatever it was that was between them better sooner than later. Right now he would like nothing more than to be allowed to simply walk over to the other man, embrace him and kiss his lips which would taste of frosting no doubt.

They had messed up the whole courting business pretty badly, already. Well, Thorin had messed it up. Being aware of that and not willing to do any more harm was why he didn’t move an inch and kept watching them, enjoying the moment. He couldn’t go back and change the mistakes he had made in the past, but he was looking forward to what the future would have in store for them.

Glancing at his watch he realized that they should be on their way or else Dis would have his head if they’d be late.

He distinctively cleared his throat and four pairs of eyes were instantly trained on him.

“Uncle Thorin!” Kili shrieked happily, jumping down from his seat and running over to his uncle where he hauled himself up in Thorin’s arms, hugging the tall man fiercely. His older brother followed close by his brother’s heels equally excited. Even Frodo had gotten up and hugged Thorin as he had sat down his nephews.

“Hi” The small boy greeted politely, grinning up at him making Thorin’s heart melt.

“Do we need to be on our way?” Bilbo interrupted softly, looking somewhat tired.

With a nod towards Bilbo Thorin put Frodo back on the floor. “Yeah, we should really leave, or Dis will kill me if we’re late” He added, sounded rather sheepishly.

Taking over to give Bilbo a moment of his own he herded the boys into the foyer and made them put on their shoes and jackets. They took their backpacks without Thorin needing to remind them and together they made their way out of the house.

When the boys were all buckled in and the luggage stowed away in the boot, Thorin turned to go and get Bilbo only to find the other man at the steps of the house already.

Bilbo locked the house firmly and then walked over to Thorin. The green smudge on his cheek had gone and he had tried and failed to tame his hair but he still smelled deliciously like biscuits.

“Thank you” Bilbo whispered and then he slid into the passenger seat, leaving Thorin standing on the pavement, looking a bit lost with his blush on his cheeks.

 

 

Two plane rides later Bilbo found himself on Austrian soil amidst something he would call a blizzard but didn’t disturb the people around him in the slightest. With their entire luggage they made their way over to the rental car company where Thorin had made reservations for three cars.

Bilbo had always liked the German language; the harsh sounding consonants had always fascinated him. He might have gotten a bit rusty with time but he could still read the advertisements around him and understand a few scraps of conversations of people passing him.

When they arrived at the counter of the rental company they met another obstacle. As pretty as her smile might be, the English of the lady behind the counter was none existent. He watched Thorin, Balin and Dis struggle for a bit before he stepped closer to intervene.

Smiling at the clerk he slipped into the gap between Thorin and the counter catching the woman’s attention.

 _“Wir haben eine Reservierung für Oakenshield”_ Comprehension flickered across her face and she shot Bilbo a grateful smile before she started to work on her computer.

 _“Drei Autos, stimmt das?”_ She asked, ignoring Thorin’s brooding she directed her question at Bilbo instead.

Bilbo turned at his boss. “You’ve booked three cars?” Thorin merely nodded, still unhappy about the situation. Having a personal assistant was all nice and dandy, but sometimes the ease with which Bilbo handled situations that had slipped from Thorin’s grasp was creepy.

Turning back to the clerk Bilbo nodded. _“Ja, richtig. Drei Autos”_

After one signature from Thorin the woman put three car keys in front of him and showed them the way to the garage. She pointed at the cars before she turned to Bilbo, explaining necessary things such as emergency protocol or which petrol to use.

When Bilbo finally joined the others in front of the cars his insides cringed.

“I’m not getting in that thing” He said crossing his arms firmly over his chest, nodding at the thing Thorin had just pointed out as their car.

The CEO cocked his head looking at him skeptically but with a hint of amusement. “You’re only alternative is hiking up to the resort”

“It looks like a tank! If you want to invade a country you could have warned me first”

Looking at him flabbergasted Thorin couldn’t help the laughter that escaped his throat.

“It’s the safest cars in its class. Come on and give me a hand with your luggage, will you?”

At the end, Bilbo sat next to Thorin on the passenger seat sulking like a teenager.

Balin, Dwalin and Ori had taken the first car, stuffed to the brim with skiing equipment. After them Dis had followed with the boys. Thorin and Bilbo were on their own although the car was full of the luggage from the group.

He had gratefully left the driving to Thorin for he surely would not put a finger on the steering wheel of this monstrosity of a car.

“What’s the matter, Bilbo” Thorin asked, sounding more concerned than usually as he indicated and shifted gear.

Bilbo briefly contemplated not answering but released a deep sigh instead. “I guess I’m only a bit embarrassed.”

“How so?”

Bilbo huffed. “I’m not…That’s just new for me, okay? Everything has practically ‘money’ stamped on it and that’s just…a bit much”

“I didn’t invite you to brag. It’s just family” Thorin mumbled sounding apologetic.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Bilbo said and looked out of the window.

A few minutes later he didn’t feel quite as sympathetic as before. Never would he have guessed that Thorin enjoyed driving through mountains the way he did. He drove up the narrow mountain road at a speed that made Bilbo regret all his bad life choices and forming his last will.

It was bad enough that the European car was the other way round, but driving on the right side of the road and the curviness of said road made Bilbo’s stomach turn. He could only hope that Dis was a more considerate driver than her brother, as Frodo had insisted he’d drive with Kili and Fili instead of riding in the car with Bilbo.

After what seemed like hours to Bilbo they had made their way up the mountain to their billet. Thorin had to bite on his lip to prevent a chuckle as he observed his assistant stumbling out of the car. Admittedly the ginger had looked somewhat agitated throughout their ride, but he hadn’t known that his driving had made Bilbo a bit sick.

He softly patted Bilbo’s back before he walked around the car to unload the boot. When Bilbo got a grip on himself they made their way inside together, the boys making more noise than a horde.

 

 

Standing on top of a mountain wrapped up in skiwear with skis on his feet he had never felt more self-conscious in his whole life. How he had survived the ride up in the ski-lift without falling out would forever remain a mystery to him. At some point he maybe should have mentioned that he never had advanced past doing snow-plough curves.

Well, now it was a bit too late for that. He was standing at the edge of a rather nasty looking slope together with Thorin, Dwalin and Ori. The three men looked quite at easy while Bilbo felt like screaming.

Ori was sitting down next to him, close to the edge, fastening the bindings of his snowboard and grinned at Bilbo.

“You never mentioned that you could ski during university, Bilbo”

He really felt the urge to kick his best friend but settled for a pained smile instead. “It never came up” His answer sounded a bit pressed.

With one glance at Bilbo Thorin pulled his ski poles out of the snow before him and began to slide backwards towards the edge of the slope grinning cheekily. Bilbo’s eyes widened a fraction fighting the urge to call out for the other man to stop messing around.

“Let’s say, if I’m down there before you, you’ll have dinner with me?” Thorin called back at Bilbo.

But before Bilbo could berate him he flashed him a radiant smile, eyes crinkling with mirth. He shifted his weight on his left foot causing his skis to make an elegant turn and started carving down the slope gracefully. Bilbo just watched him go with a mixture between jealousy and admiration.

He turned towards Ori, who was now kneeling on the ground, his board pointing downhill. “I hate him” The ginger growled half-heartedly as he kept watching Thorin going down the mountain gracefully and at neck-breaking speed from out of the corners of his eyes.

“No, you don’t” Ori retorted merrily as he pushed himself upright and started to slither away slowly. “See you down there, Bilbo”

“Don’t leave me here, you traitor!”

The sound of someone clearing his throat behind him almost made him jump out of his skin. He had absolutely forgotten about Dwalin. Turning around he smiled apologetic at the older man who only smirked in response.

“Don’t know why you’re making such a fuzz ‘bout it. You want to go out with him anyway, don’t you?”

“That’s not the point” Bilbo mumbled as he turned fully to face Dwalin who stood behind him, his upper body propped up on his ski poles.

“Nah, your point is that you have no bloody idea how you’ll get down that slope, right?” His smirk widened.

Bilbo merely nodded his head feeling utterly embarrassed. He really should have admitted much earlier that he wasn’t a good skier.

Dwalin however didn’t feel fazed about it all. “You know how to do snow-plough turns, don’t you?”

“Yeah”

“Good. You’ll follow me down in my tracks then. We’ll go slowly, all right?” He asked sounding much softer than normally. Obviously Ori hadn’t been lying when he had told Bilbo about the inner softy Dwalin was hiding.

Together they made their way downhill in an excruciatingly slow pace but Dwalin really didn’t seem to mind it. He patiently pointed out Bilbo’s mistakes and made suggestions of how to fix them. Bilbo vowed to never underestimate Dwalin’s seemingly endless patience and endeavor ever again.

 

“Why didn’t you say you’d need an instructor” Thorin asked him when they finally joined them again at the bottom of the hill, voice full of concern and the trademark frown on his face.

Before Bilbo could answer Dwalin already interjected. “He doesn’t need one, he already has one. We’ll meet you for lunch later at the inn together with the others. You can have the afternoon shift, if you like, Thorin” Hi finished, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Thorin still didn’t look happy but accepted the proposal nevertheless. Together with Ori he made his way over to the next ski-lift.

“Thanks, Dwalin. For volunteering as an instructor and for not making fun of me” Bilbo said earnestly.

The older man smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I know that I owe you one for talking to Ori and taking care of him”

“Don’t mention it”

 

 

It never came to Thorin taking over the afternoon shift, as Dwalin had called it, that day. After lunch Bilbo decided to retreat to the spa, mopping about all the bruises that would soon blossom on his skin from the all the falling he had done today.

Since Frodo and the brothers were still busy with their skiing school which Dis had picked for them, he would indulge in an afternoon of relaxation.

Coming back to the beautiful resort after an antagonising and tedious morning of skiing Bilbo was perfectly happy to relax in one of the large hot tubs overlooking the lovely mountain panorama.

Tonight they would celebrate Christmas Eve, something he was really looking forward to. Most of the present giving would be tomorrow morning but as the Oakenshield family’s tradition would have it, everyone would get one present each tonight.

 

 

“Oh come on, Bilbo! Open it already!” Dis ushered, a keen smile spread over her face.

Glancing at Thorin he carefully started to peel off the nice wrapping paper. He was the last one to open his present it had to be the one from Thorin.

When he pulled the paper off he hoped his disappointment wouldn’t show on his face. It was a book and first he thought it a bit anticlimactic before he could hear Dis gasp in surprise.

“Thorin, is that…?”

“Grandmothers old recipes book, yes. I thought it might do well in Bilbo’s hands” A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and Dis nodded satisfied.

“What a lovely surprise, Thorin. Finally there’s someone in the family who is actually able to _use_ a cookbook!” She teased, sending a fond look in Bilbo’s direction.

Ignoring all the glances Bilbo flicked the book open thumbing through the pages. The minute descriptions and the detailed drawings were amazing. Everything was done by hand and very beautifully done, spoke of patience and devotion.

The yellowed pages felt crisp beneath his fingertips. Somewhere in the distance he could hear Dis call out for the boys saying something about bedtime.

He leapt up to his feet, clutching the book with one hand. “I’ll go tug the boys in” He chimed cheerfully, sounding a bit forced. “I’ll be back down with you in a bit” Stopping Dis’ protests with a wave of his hand he ushered the three boys towards the stairs that led to their rooms.

Telling the boys to change into their pajamas, making them brush their teeth and reading them a story while they were all tucked in their beds was somewhat mechanical, but the boys didn’t pay much attention to Bilbo’s wandering mind. Their chatter died down after the second chiding glance from Bilbo and when Bilbo had finished reading them a second chapter of their book, their eyes were firmly shut and three boys soundly asleep.

He crept out of the room, closing the door behind him as carefully as he could before he leaned against it releasing a deep sigh. There was nothing on this earth that could bring him to go down there again and join the others. He needed some air first.

 

 

There he was, standing on a balcony, somewhere in the middle of the bloody Alps, freezing and indulging in what-ifs and could-be scenarios. His mother would be proud of him no doubt. He groaned in expiration running his fingers through his hair, messing up his mop of curly hair even more.

The others were still waiting for him downstairs as he had only said he’d tuck the boys in bed and would return to them afterwards. After receiving Thorin’s gift however he found that he couldn’t.

Their relationship had started as an odd one and so many different things had happened in-between. How could the brusque man even think of such a thoughtful present? If he could only put a name to his fears. Was it because of his past?

He never had defined himself through his former occupation, so what was it that held him back now? What was it that kept him from plunging into a relationship head over heels?

His musing was interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps behind him. “Found you” Thorin’s low rumble engulfed his senses and he craned his neck to look at the other man.

“Why didn’t you come back down?” Thorin asked tentatively coming to stand next to Bilbo; their height difference was prominent as they stood side by side. Bilbo looked up, a sad smile on his face that he couldn’t quite hide.

“I needed…time? They are all so loud I can barely hear my own thoughts.” Seeing Thorin’s face fall he added hastily. “Don’t get me wrong, I like it very much. You’re family that is. It’s lovely” His voice came out a bit broken at the end.

“Bilbo”

“I like your present” Bilbo interrupting him, suddenly feeling the urge to reassure the other man and to delay the talk that was inevitable to follow.

Thorin awkwardly glanced down at him. “Can we…I mean…can I talk? You just need to listen”

Bilbo looked up at him, meeting his eyes. And what he saw made his knees grow week. At this moment Thorin looked years younger and vulnerable and his expression was ridden of his regular stoic self, all that remind was tenderness.

What he said next even surprised Bilbo, for he hadn’t intended to say it. “I’ve never been in love before, you know?”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Thorin’s mouth as his hand reached for Bilbo’s and engulfed it.

“There are so many things about you that I don’t know. Something that is probably as much your fault as it is mine.” Sighing deeply he smiled in all earnestly at Bilbo. “However I promised not to pry”

“Something I’m grateful for” Bilbo mumbled, shifting his weight so that he could lean closer to the warmth of Thorin’s body. Taking the hint Thorin took a small step back and pulled Bilbo in front of him.

Wrapping both of his broad strong arms around Bilbo’s middle he nestled his head on Bilbo’s shoulder, trying to pull the smaller man even closer, while Bilbo leaned back into the embrace.

Exhaling shakily Bilbo put his arms on top of Thorin’s, enjoying the moment and the radiant warmth from the body behind him.

“Tell me what you want. Please” He added more of an afterthought.

“Can we be together?” Bilbo whispered.

“I really hope so”

“There are so many things wrong with us being together”

“Such as?”

 _My past_ , he wanted to scream, but refrained from it at the last moment.

“What about work? Wouldn’t that cause some conflict of interests?” He asked trying to ignore the throaty chuckle behind him.

“I don’t know and for the first time in my life, I don’t care. All I know right now is that I want to have you in my life” If Bilbo wasn’t mistaken there was actually a hint of hoe in Thorin’s raspy voice.

“Do you worry about Frodo?”

“I worry about Frodo constantly, but I would less if you were around. He likes you quite a lot as it is already anyway”

“What about you?”

“You said it yourself. There are so many things you don’t know about me and that’s my own fault. I don’t want to lie to you, but I think if you knew everything about me you wouldn’t like me anymore.” Speaking the truth hurt more than he had imagined but being honest with Thorin felt right.

“I don’t know what the future brings, but I’m ready to protect you even if that means protect you from yourself, that I can promise”

“But what if I can’t protect you?”

“Bilbo” he gritted his teeth and took Bilbo’s hand up to his mouth pressing a deep kiss on Bilbo’s palm, his eyes never leaving Bilbo’s.

He could feel his heart beating his throat and panic slowly started to rise again. This was it. He could either jump now of regret it forever. Thorin’s face was so close and the tender expression hasn’t wavered, but he looked a bit wary.

The CEO swallowed hard and released a shaky breath. The small man in his arms looked like he was about to break, causing his heart to ache even more. He leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, his free hand finding the ginger’s cheek.

The air was full of tension and unasked questions and a heavy silence settled between them. Thorin had said his part and now it was on Bilbo to take the last step.

Bilbo seemed to realise that as well, tense as he was in Thorin’s arms. It suddenly seemed important to tell him but the words wouldn’t move his mouth. _Some mouths are made to say_ I love you _others less so, Bilbo_. His mother’s voice told him again inside his head. For now he’d need other words. _There’s always later_ , he told himself.

“I want to be with you” He whispered as he got on his tiptoes and finally pressed their lips together.

When their lips met it was just as simple as that. No fireworks, no sparks. But suddenly things that had seemed too big for Bilbo to handle vanished into thin air. Suddenly it didn’t matter any longer what he had done before he had met Thorin. It didn’t matter that he would need to give up his Nomadic lifestyle and settle down. What he had here in his hands was a noble heart, possibly even more fragile than his own and in the moment he realized the preciousness of all that, Bilbo could feel the Earth _move._

It seemed as if this was the thing he had been doing his whole life. Just as if every decision he had ever taken had been made merely to lead them to this precise moment. As if being with Thorin was something as easy and normal as breathing. And how Thorin fitted into his life, Bilbo would never be able to explain, he just did.

After a long moment filled with kissing, Bilbo started to shudder. The cold was finally getting to him and even Thorin’s body heat could do anything against it.

Letting go off the smaller man Thorin smirked. “We should go inside”.

Bilbo nodded and caught Thorin’s wrist, tugging at it to make Thorin follow him. They actually made it to Bilbo’s room without much fuss and hardly any kisses on the way. As soon as the door closed behind them Bilbo was on Thorin again kissing the taller man deeply.

“I need you” He whimpered into their kiss, urgency overcoming his body. Breaking their kiss for a moment Thorin caressed his cheek with a tender expression on his face tinged with desire.

“Thorin, I-“Bilbo was cut from his words as Thorin descended down on him and caught his lips again in a deep kiss. Bilbo’s body jolted alive and almost automatically arched towards Thorin, his arms wrapped around his neck on their own accord and he let out a surprise gasp.

Thorin nipped on Bilbo’s lower lip, his own arms tight around Bilbo’s waist. They didn’t know how long they spent their time kissing and touching each other, but it didn’t matter. They had time to make up for, no longer able to deny them what they had desired for so long.

Pulling Bilbo’s jumper of his head they stumbled backwards towards the bed, only to stumble over a small chair in their way. Thorin caught him midway but they ended up on the rug nevertheless more or less unharmed. At least Bilbo’s jumper was gone for good. Thorin smiled satisfied as he started to unbutton his PA’s shirt revealing creamy white skin.

The small ginger trembled as soft lips pressed kisses against his neck and left bite marks on his revealed shoulder. Bilbo more or less purred and Thorin took a brief moment to look at him with a tender expression that spoke of devotion.

It had taken them such a long time to get to this point when he was finally allowed to reach out for the other man without the gnawing fear of rejection. Bilbo tiled his head and sealed Thorin’s lips with his own again.

As soon as his lips pressed against Thorin’s the taller man cupped his head with both of his broad hands, making it impossible for the ginger to withdraw. Not that he had planned on doing so anytime soon anyway.

Heat was starting to rise in belly, beginning to spread over the rest of his body. Thorin must be able to feel it as Bilbo felt almost feverish, every nerve in his body burning brightly.

Thorin kissed Bilbo passionately, starting to let his fingers run through Bilbo’s hair as he pushed his assistant deeper into the rug. There was still too much clothing between them for Thorin’s liking. Breaking the kiss they both gasped for air and within a matter of minutes Thorin had handled the clothing problem.

Bilbo was reduced to being almost naked, but Thorin still got his most of his clothes on except for his jacket and dress shirt.

They regarded each other from under half lidded eyes and shared heavy breaths. Bilbo looked deliciously debouched in this state of undress with his swollen lips and lust-clouded eyes.

“Beautiful” Thorin whispered, tenderly caressing Bilbo’s cheek. “So beautiful”

He pressed a kiss on Bilbo’s forehead before he got up swiftly in order to discard the rest of his clothes. When he came back to bend down over Bilbo again the ginger couldn’t help the blush that spread on his face at the sight.

The last time they had done this it had been dark in the room and he had been captured in his own thoughts too much to appreciate what was in front of him.

The soft light of the lamp in the corner made Thorin’s skin shimmer almost golden and the angles of his face appeared deeper, more mysterious.

“Let me take care of you” Thorin almost pleaded and Bilbo nodded his consent.

Thorin was now kneeling in front of his thighs softly stroking over his calves, slowly starting to move his hands higher up his shin. When he reached his knees Thorin grabbed them gently, drawing soothing circles on Bilbo’s skin with his thumbs before he pushed his legs apart.

Bilbo couldn’t help the blush that dared to creep on his face again as he lay before Thorin, everything clearly on display for the other man. Thorin however glanced up at Bilbo trying to give him a reassuring smile, but something vaguely familiar to insecurity had sneaked onto his features.

Bilbo reached for one of Thorin’s hands with his own and gently guided it past his knees. He gave him a, what he hoped counted as a reassuring squeeze before he released it again. Thorin started to caress the insides of his thighs, eager hands moving closer to Bilbo’s middle.

Without warning he turned Bilbo around with one swift movement so that the PA was now lying on his front. Bilbo only grunted in surprise, anticipation rising. Thorin pushed on knee between Bilbo’s legs, nudging them apart and planted his arms on both sides of Bilbo’s head. He didn’t lower his whole weight on Bilbo just enough for Bilbo to remind him who was behind him driving him mad with lust.

Thorin bit down into the soft flesh where the neck ended and the shoulder started, maybe a bit harder than necessary, but before Bilbo could complain a keen tongue was lapping at the sore spot, turning pain into pleasure.

Thorin’s tongue didn’t just stop there. It followed his spine downwards steadily getting closer to his tailbone. Only inches away from getting to the really interesting part, Thorin however stopped yet again. “Tease!” Bilbo growled impatiently as he tried and failed to stifle a moan of desperation.

“God, Thorin, please! Please, do something already!” He blushed at how wantonly his voice had sounded. He could hear some rustling behind him and a triumphant cry from Thorin.

“Tell me you didn’t plan for this” Bilbo murmured into the crook of his arm.

“Hoping, not planning” Thorin corrected him as he coated his fingers with lube.

Bilbo moaned throatily as Thorin’s finger entered him slowly, drawn out and just right, the stretch enough to give pleasure but not enough to be painful. It felt foreign as always, but it was a touch Bilbo liked to grow used to. As Thorin carefully added another finger Bilbo whimpered. It felt good to have something inside of him but it was still not enough and he begged Thorin for more.

Thorin leaned over him, pressing a quick kiss on his damp curls. “So eager. Just a bit more, be patient” He rasped out, voice strained as he was hardly unaffected from their actions.

Making scissoring motions with his fingers right before he added a third finger, Bilbo fisted the fabric of the rug biting down on his arms to stifle a deep moan.

“Do that again, please!” He wailed, his breath coming out more raggedly. Thorin could only nod before he complied and touched Bilbo’s sweet spot for a second time. It was still not enough for Bilbo. The friction Thorin’s fingers created couldn’t fill his need to be completely _full._

“Thorin, please” He whined, pushing his hips up provokingly, spreading his legs even wider. Thorin’s lips curled into a smirk as he removed his fingers. He leaned over Bilbo again pressing butterfly kisses on his neck as he slowly pushed the entire length of his cock into Bilbo’s entrance.

There wasn’t much talking after that. The air was filled with their gasps and soft cries of lust.

Thorin’s hand sneaked around Bilbo’s waist finding his cock and fisting it in the same rhythm of the thrusts of his hips. It didn’t take much longer after this. His grip on Bilbo’s cock tightened and he changed the angle of his thrusts hitting the sweet spot deep inside of Bilbo.

Bilbo came all over his hand with a strangled cry, Thorin following shortly after.

For only the briefest of moments he mused whether he should be embarrassed about the shortness of their lovemaking but decided against him.

Slipping out of Bilbo he helped the smaller man stand up and walked over to the bathroom to fetch a damp towel. When he returned Bilbo had already switched of the lights and was sprawled on the bed. He handed Bilbo the towel before he slipped into bed next to the ginger, who tossed the towel into the corner after he had cleaned himself off a bit.

In the darkness Bilbo searched for Thorin’s hand. He entangled their fingers, squeezing Thorin’s hand lightly. “Stay?” He whispered softly as if a loud noise would shatter their moment together. He could see Thorin’s smile in the twilight of the room.

“For as long as you will have me”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> Bilbo: We have a reservation for Oakenshield.  
> Clerk: Three cars, right?  
> Bilbo: Yes, right. Three cars.


	17. Gravity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!  
> Enjoy :)

Gravity will pull him down again just as it always had when he was flying to high. Bilbo was freakishly aware of that. After all, it was a thought that kept resurfacing over and over again in Bilbo’s head and yet he was more than happy to push it away every time.

The rest of their holiday was rushing past Bilbo and it was a happy blur full of laughter and stolen kisses. Especially New Year’s Eve on top of a bloody mountain was a special treat for the former thief. He’d been almost frozen to death, throat hoarse from shouting at the three boys to stop causing so much trouble but when the clock had struck at twelve he finally had someone to kiss.

In retrospect Bilbo should have had known better than to push aside all his doubts and troubles. For as long as he could remember the universe had had a tendency to dangle happiness in front of him like a carrot in front of a mule just to keep him moving. Happiness had never been something gainable.

Bilbo wasn’t a pessimist per se, he considered himself a pragmatic realist, thank you very much. That being said, it plagued him that everything with Thorin just seemed so _easy._ Past experience had taught Bilbo to always expect to pay a price. And the prospect of feeling utterly disgustingly happy made him more wary than anything else.

Being used to bad luck and hard work he couldn’t quite bring himself to enjoy the strong arms that were wrapped around him most of the time or Frodo’s carefree giggles.

Every morning after the fateful Christmas night he had to peel himself out of a mess of sheets and Thorin’s limbs and for the first time in a long while he allowed to feel...content. Maybe not happy, not yet, but content he could do. It was still frightening him to no end. If Thorin ever noticed his fears he couldn’t tell but the man never asked him either. Why would he?

At the end of their holiday he still wasn’t professional skier but at least he was able to get down a slope without killing himself or maiming harmless bystanders. Frodo behaved like every 5 year old boy should and was just as smitten with Thorin as Bilbo was himself.

And Thorin, _well_. Thorin played the role of a lovesick fool like no other. Bilbo was convinced that he had never been on the receiving end of so many passionate glances and radiant smiles and of course even that spooked him. The thought that it was all for him and him alone was as alarming as it was exhilarating.

When the time came to leave it took them all a full hour rounding up the boys and another one to haul all their bits and bobs into the cars. It felt strangely domestic to Bilbo, something, he thought, he could get used to. And yet, every fibre in his body was waiting for a catastrophe that wouldn’t come.

As he settled into the plush chair on the plane that would take them back to Heathrow he consoled himself with the thought that everything would eventually go tits up as soon as the plane touched back down in England. The following morning would bring back routine to their lives and with routine chaos was bound to happen.

 

 

Thorin was howling with anger when Bilbo stepped into the corridor leading to his office the next morning. A demeanour Bilbo could well remember from the beginning of their working relationship. It had ceased over the past weeks and months but it had shown its ugly head every now and then. So shortly after a – in Bilbo’s opinion – lovely vacation it admittedly had the ginger wonder.

Seeing that neither Dwalin nor Balin had actually dared to get into Thorin’s office Bilbo was sure that somewhere a very significant piece of Thorin’s world was burning brightly. From past experience with the older man Bilbo knew that it was of no use to approach Thorin when he was in such a mood so he decided to follow Dwalin’s and Balin’s example and sit it out.

He occupied himself with the schedules for the weeks to come, idly passing the time and waiting for the storm to pass. When he was in the middle of his second cup of tea Thorin finally stepped out of his office, looking slightly deranged. He beckoned Bilbo to follow him to one of their conference rooms. It wasn’t the brusqueness of his tone or his lack of affectionate gestures that had Bilbo’s instincts flaring up.

One glance at the man’s eyes had Bilbo on alert. There was a dangerous fire burning in the normaly kind blue eyes. Today Thorin was nothing like the man he had kissed goodbye at his door not twelve hours ago. The man in front of him was frantic and aggressive and reminded Bilbo of the person Thorin had been when they had first met all those months ago.

As he was striding a few steps in front of Bilbo he appeared to be more on edge then the former thief had ever witnessed before. Something must be deeply wrong to shake Thorin that much.

Sometimes it wasn’t much fun to be right, Bilbo thought as soon as he glimpsed into the room Thorin had led them into.

Sitting at the head of the table, face partly obscured by a massive newspaper was no other than Gandalf De Gris. It took every ounce of willpower for Bilbo not to flinch or turn on his heels and run for the hills the moment his eyes had set on the old man.

Admittedly, he knew and liked Gandalf, but in turn Gandalf also knew and liked Bilbo. Something that would certainly pose as a slight obstacle if Thorin was to find out. As of now he had no idea how he could communicate to Thorin that he was well acquainted with a professional power broker and fixer.

 

 

Mister De Gris saw himself as a man of many things. An entrepreneur, an appreciator of the finer things in life, a benefactor, the heir to an old French bloodline - the list was long but one of his more impressive features was his affinity to problem solving. There were even those who went as far as to call him a kingmaker or power broker but he never really cared much for that aspect of his profession. Admittedly he had his fingers in many pies and most of his actions were somewhere in the void of grey zones and legally indefinable spaces but he valued this aspect of his job.

At least the morally dubiousness of his occupation brought some interesting things with it. Meeting people of all types and professions was one of his favourite aspects of it.

One of his adventures had led his path to cross with the one of a Mister William ‘Bilbo’ Baggins. A born thief and all-rounder at heart. The lad had been very young and quite adventurous back then, bordering to levity. The circumstances under which they had made acquaintances had been _dubious_ to say the least. Certain artefacts had needed to change ownership with much ado. Several parties had been involved and everything had to be kept under a veil of secrecy – a very delicate situation indeed.

That being said, named artefacts had found their way into Gandalf’s hands, delivered by no other than Bilbo. The young ginger with his unruly curls had climbed through the window of his office at nightfall, all toothy grin and adolescent nonchalance with a hint of inherent rough charm to him.

How Bilbo had actually found his way into his office without alerting Gandalf of his presence or setting of the alarm was an enigma to the old man and Bilbo would never tell. However after he had unceremoniously dumped his delivery on Gandalf’s desk, he had walked over to the secretary in the corner, had poured them each a finger of whiskey (instincts had lead him to the good stuff Gandalf kept hidden in the hindmost corner only to be used for special occasions) and had taken a seat across from him. They had had a very nice chat, followed by an even nicer meal in a small French restaurant Gandalf still liked to visit frequently before Bilbo had disappeared into the shadows of a small alleyway.

After their encounter De Gris had made sure to pitch most of the more _delicate_ jobs to Bilbo. Gandalf stood for efficiency and enjoyed to support potential after all. If he had been involved in the coining of the media’s pet name for the young thief or not it was nobody’s business.   
Every time they had worked together the outcome had been satisfactory for both of them and their regular encounters had forged something akin to friendship.

As of late Gandalf hadn’t heard from Bilbo for a while now. The silence hadn’t disturbed him but had made him wary. Knowing Bilbo’s field of proficiency Gandalf knew that Bilbo’s disappearance had been bound to happen eventually. Knowledge had always been a part of his business after all. In spite of himself he trusted the young man and was convinced Bilbo would knew how to handle himself.

Just in case he had listened for rumours and looked for a sign of the ginger regardless. He hadn’t seen or heard anything as of late but that confirmed his suspicions more than it fed his fears for Bilbo’s safety.

 

Glancing up from his newspaper a broad smile spread out on his features. The man who had carefully stepped through the door behind Thorin Oakenshield’s broad form had lost nothing of his rough charm and grace. With a confident sway in his steps Bilbo made his way over to the table and Gandalf noted with a satisfied smirk that he was still every inch the thief he could remember.

Whether he was hiding or not, Bilbo’s instincts had stayed the same. He may had grown out of his spots and had filled in on some other places but to Gandalf he would always be the cheeky thief in his adolescence. However seeing Bilbo dressed up in a refined suit sporting something close to manners triggered a rush of fondness in the old man.

Sitting down next to him Thorin perfectly shows the image of the respected tycoon he is but anger was radiating off him. Gandalf hardly knew him any other way, but experience had taught him that an angry Thorin was also a dangerous one.

The glances that are exchanged between the business man and the thief on the other hand are something else entirely. He could vaguely remember something in the news regarding Thorin and his new PA but at that time he had hardly paid it any mind. Now he can’t help but wonder if those rumours had involved Bilbo or someone else.

Knowing the ginger’s filed of expertise and success rate Gandalf couldn’t help the suspicion that creeps up at him. And yet, the way Bilbo was looking at Thorin made Gandalf scrap every notion of fraud. The glances Bilbo was giving the Durin heir spoke for themselves as did the faint blush on his cheeks when Thorin reciprocated them. Gandalf would have never taken Bilbo for a man to take on honey-pot assignments, no matter how high the profit.

Coming to this conclusion he couldn’t help the rising interest in their actual relationship. If the blushes were any indication he’d say they were romantically involved.   
However, if their relationship wasn’t the reason for his call there were more pressing matters and he cleared his throat to get Thorin’s attention. Breaking eye contact with his assistant Thorin actually looked a tad caught.

For the professional he is Bilbo didn’t let on that he knew Gandalf in the slightest as he poured the two sitting men some tea. If he put two sugar and two milk next to Gandalf’s cup or not, it’s nobody’s business. Gandalf, however, noticed and couldn’t help but be impressed that Bilbo actually remembered how he took his tea. A tiny seemingly insignificant detail but Gandalf valued tiny insignificant details above anything – they paid the best after all.

After pouring them tea Bilbo’s unmistakable instincts told him to flee the scene but before he had a chance to slip out of the room entirely Thorin started to speak.

“I guess you know why you are here, Gandalf?”

Shooting a meaningful glance at Bilbo the old man took his time, leaving the ginger an opening to make an exit before he answered. Watching Bilbo’s back as he hastily closed the door behind him De Gris cleared his throat while pouring some more milk in his cup.

“The Arkenstone – again, I assume” He looked back at Thorin catching the other man glaring at him.

Bilbo’s ears were still ringing after he tried to close the door as silently as possible, Gandalf’s words clearly echoing through his head. Outside the conference room Bilbo leaned heavily against the door and allowed himself to breathe again. Whatever Gandalf was doing here, it sure was foreboding something bad for Bilbo.

Part of him was anxious while the rest of him was simply overwhelmed by irritation. There were too many possible scenarios for Bilbo to assess. He remembered the name _Arkenstone_ , but he couldn’t allot it to anything specific and yet there was a distinctive feeling that he shouldn’t know _anything_ about it at all.

Whether Gandalf was here on his own accord to blow the whistle on Bilbo or if Thorin had actually called the old man for help, Bilbo wasn’t sure. Both possibilities were equally aggravating. He took some more deep breaths and tried to calm down before he pushed himself off of the wooden door and marched back to his desk.

He’d need to catch Gandalf on his way out without Thorin being close by.

 

 

“How does it come that your family keeps loosing it over that particular piece of carbon?” The question sounded rather amused as the old man idly stirred his tea.

“What is it to you?” Thorin snapped back, every inch pure aggression and hostility. “It’s gone and I need it back. That’s why I called you”

“The documents are missing as well” He offered after Gandalf remained silent and didn’t bulge.

“That’s...not good” The old man finally answered slowly after taking a sip of his tea.

“Not good...Of course it’s not good!” The CEO parroted his voice tinged with disbelieve and the calmness of the other man only increased his irritation. “If it gets public my family is done”

“Not to mention your company” Helpful as ever, Gandalf offered.

“Yes” Thorin growled while waving a dismissing hand at the statement. “It’ll be a blow that we can’t hope to recover from, I’m aware, thanks”

After a long moment of silence that strained Thorin’s waning patience Gandalf spoke up again. “Where have you kept it?”

“Here. I thought it would be safe”

“It’ll be only safe if it’s no longer in your possession or destroyed – something I’ve told your grandfather as well, Thorin”

The shouting match that enfolded between them after the last statement thankfully went unheard by any other ears.

 

 

Very soon – too soon in Bilbo’s opinion – he was summoned back to Thorin’s side. After all there is actual work for them to do even if Thorin chose to spend his morning with a wicked old man.

It took the former thief a few attempts to actually find the two men as they had left the conference room quite a while ago, if the deserted teacups are any indication. He eventually caught them in the in-house vault, a place where Bilbo had been only once before. They were keeping _things_ there and Bilbo – just to temper the temptation- never asked what exactly they had down there. After all he wasn’t a kleptomaniac but he didn’t trust his clever fingers regardless.

When he entered the vault he walked into the end of their discussion as well.

The old man looked lost in thoughts as he took in – what Bilbo could only assume as – the crime scene.

“Looks familiar...” Gandalf mumbled as he crouched down studying the floor intensely. “What do you mean?” Thorin snarled back angrily, arms crossed in front of his chest.

“Well” De Gris got up slowly with his ever present smile on his face. “Whoever did this is a master of their profession.” Walking up to the safe deposit boxes he continued. “Have you ever heard about a thief called ‘The Hobbit’?” Gandalf asked, not even so much as glancing in Bilbo’s direction.

Suppressing a desperate groan, Bilbo clutched tighter at the manila folders he had brought with him. For obvious reasons he knew that this wasn’t the work of ‘The Hobbit’ and yet he had to struggle with shallowness of his breathing. Naturally it would be a logical conclusion for Gandalf to suspect him, but this was playing dirty.

 _No honour among thieves_. The thought jumped at Bilbo and almost made him giggle. Highly inappropriate as Thorin looked ready to murder and maim the old man.

Frankly Bilbo could name each and everyone who would be able to perform such a high rated heist but since he hadn’t been around the office for the last two weeks the knowledge is worthless.

“Gandalf, I’ve absolutely no idea what you are talking about” Thorin growled pinching the bridge of his nose, desperately clinging to his remaining patience. Gandalf actually had the nerve to chuckle and Bilbo was convinced that the old man’s life would end down here.

“It’s a nom de plume of sorts, dramatic folks them thieves...” He said before he let his gaze flitter through the room once more.

“What do you know about this Hobbit guy?” The CEO wasn’t even trying to mask his irritation any longer.

“Not much” Gandalf retorted light-heartedly and his eyes were twinkling with mischief as he dared to wink at Bilbo. “Well, he’s considered to be one of the most successful thieves of our time. Interpol only has the name the tabloids have given him, nothing more. There isn’t much to know about his methods or any regular acquaintances. But he leaves a muddy boot-print behind if he feels particularly cocky”

Glancing at Bilbo, De Gris smirked while the former thief couldn’t help the urge to shuffle his feet. Of course Gandalf would never let him live that down!

“That sounds incredibly reassuring” Thorin snapped but his demeanour changed abruptly as he finally turned towards Bilbo. Aggression melting away he even gave his PA a thin-lipped smile. “What do you need?” He asked rather curtly.

“Work?” Bilbo offered, making his way over holding out the documents for Thorin to sign. “I’ll be out of your hair in a second but those contracts need to go out before lunch”

Thorin merely nodded, taking the pen that the ginger offered and signed.

 

 

“Would you mind stopping the witch-hunt for ‘the Hobbit’?”

Bilbo stood there at the corner, leaning casually against the wall and smiled at him innocently. Having materialised out of thin air he had made Gandalf jump quite a bit.

“Seriously, Gandalf, I like my new job and I’d like to keep it too!”

Playfully gripping at his chest, Gandalf smiled. “Ah my boy, it’s good to see you too!”

“Gandalf!” The former thief urged almost pouting.

“I’ll stop it if you tell me, my dear boy. Did you do it?” Even before the question left his mouth Gandalf knew the answer to it. Making Bilbo squirm a bit is only justified by the months of silence he had put Gandalf through.

Bilbo merely cocked an eyebrow shooting the old man a dirty look. “No, I didn’t. I’m not even sure if I know what _it is_ we are talking about precisely. And before you ask, I don’t know _who_ did it either. All I know is that...well...whoever did it, it was well done. No prints, no alarm and they must have been quick as hell.”

“That sounds a fairly bit like yourself, Bilbo, doesn’t it? It wouldn’t be the first time after all that you got your fingers on the Arkenstone, now would it? Otherwise I wouldn’t be here” Gandalf stated simply.

Bilbo only looked at him dumbfounded. “What are you on about, Gandalf?”

“You brought the blasted thing back from Antwerp some time ago”

“I remember Antwerp, but it’s ... fuzzy. We shouldn’t be talking about that...stuff, anyway. Here, that is!”

“I agree. And yet, I can’t help but wonder...”

Expiration was slowly creeping into his voice as he watched the old man in front of him.

“I think I know all the people who’d be able to do something like this, but I haven’t seen one of them around here” Bilbo admitted but the moment the words left his mouth he wanted to bite his tongue. There was no way Gandalf could know, was there?

“Then again, how would you, all the way from the Alps?” The mischievous twinkle was back in his eyes, causing Bilbo’s cheeks to flare up in embarrassment.

“How do you – “

“After all those years you still have to ask?” Bilbo weakly shook his head, stunned into silence while Gandalf smirked at him.

“Anyway, we need to get together sometime this week. I haven’t seen much of you as of late!” The former thief nodded trying to smile.

“But please, call this time, Bilbo”

“When did I ever call?” Now it was Bilbo who was sporting a massive smirk.

“I’ll never stop trying to keep you from climbing into my office through the window. You’ll give me a coronary one day!”

Bilbo laughed at that and Gandalf as he was taking his leave smiled at him fondly. “Take care, my boy!”

 

 

After Gandalf had left him standing Bilbo couldn’t do anything else than to return to his desk and hope that Thorin’s mood had passed. De Gris hadn’t given him much information about the matter but enough to make him think.

When he found the doors to Thorin’s office closed he turned to the small kitchen in order to prepare some coffee for his boss. No matter the mood, Thorin would surely appreciate the caffeine rush.

He could more feel than hear someone approaching him but before he was able to turn around Thorin was already behind him, wrapping his arms around his middle.

The little hairs on his neck started to stand up and he leaned back in the embrace, resting his head on Thorin’s chest.

“What’s the matter?” He could hear Thorin take a deep rumbling breath from behind him and put his head on Bilbo’s shoulder.

“Just...don’t ask” Thorin rumbled into the crook of his neck.

“I worry about you” It was not exactly what he had wanted to say but it was still not a lie. _Why do you need a fixer? Why are you storming through your company like an angry mob?_ He really wanted to ask but the questions simply died in his throat as Thorin pulled him closer.

“I’m sorry” The tall man behind him whispered and Bilbo could feel his concerns melting away. He should stay focused but he was getting distracted too easily when it came to Thorin and he loved and hated it at the same time.

“Let’s have dinner tonight” Bilbo suggested, hoping that he could convince Ori to babysit for him. For a moment Thorin hesitated, breathing in one more time, head still hidden in the crook of Bilbo’s neck.

“I’d like that” He mumbled softly before releasing Bilbo from his embrace not without pressing a kiss on the nape of his neck first. Turning around Bilbo had to suppress the impulse to pull the other man close again as Thorin was looking a tad frayed at the edges.

The older man offered a weak smile and Bilbo couldn’t help but getting on his tip toes and pressed a soft kiss on Thorin’s lips.

After they separated he could still feel Thorin’s hands at his hips. The CEO merely looked at him, deeply lost in his own thoughts.

“I love you” He said eventually, sounding a bit surprised.

“Was that a statement or a question?” Bilbo teased, a crooked smile on his lips.

“I...no. I just realised that I really do”

Reaching for one of Thorin’s hands Bilbo took it into his own and kissed the fingertips as he looked up at him from under long eyelashes. “What does that make us?” Thorin asked sounding breathless and almost insecure.

“Does it matter?”

 

 

They actually made it to dinner after Bilbo had ushered Thorin through several delayed meetings and conference calls. The place Thorin had suggested, sometime between a call from Hong Kong and an emergency meeting with Balin, turned out to be a lovely tiny Italian place close to home. Bilbo only had to promise Ori that he’d cook for his upcoming birthday if the blond accountant would look after Frodo for a few hours.

Sadly Thorin had returned to his former taciturn self but after the day he’d had Bilbo could emphasize. Admittedly it had been a crass difference to what he had seen of the man the past week but it couldn’t be helped.

When the waiter had returned with their receipt Bilbo had snatched it away from under Thorin’s fingers and had pressed a chaste kiss at the corner of Thorin’s mouth after he had handed over his own credit card.

The broad smile was still plastered on his was when he was making his way home. It certainly would have been nicer if Thorin would have accompanied him, but to Bilbo’s dismay they had said their goodbyes in front of the restaurant. Bilbo swayed a bit as he remembered the kiss and Thorin’s strong hands at his hips.

Their dinner had put Thorin at ease at least a little bit but he had returned to the office regardless, no matter how hard Bilbo had tried to convince him to turn in for the night. The CEO had somehow returned to his old stoic self and was as aloof as the day Bilbo had first met him.

Whatever the blasted thing was everyone only kept calling the _Arkenstone_ Bilbo had no idea, but he could see that it was gnawing on Thorin.

As lost in thoughts as he was Bilbo wasn’t watching his surroundings as closely as he used to do only a few months ago. Lured into a false sense of security by his new life had made him drop his vigilance.

So when he heard someone calling out his name it almost made him jump out of his skin.

The husky voice belonged to a lean figure that leaned on the wall on Bilbo’s left obscured by shadows. He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to tower over Bilbo who could only gape at the tall man.

“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

“What are you doing here?” Bilbo hissed, voice laden with more venom than he had expected.

A wicked grin and a flash of teeth had him snap his mouth shut and straightened his back. “That’s not a nice way to greet an old friend, little Hobbit!”

His thoughts instantly started to race towards Frodo and every fiber of his being feared for the safety of the boy.

“What do you want, Smaug?”


	18. Last Train Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly the last chapter was basically a very long cliff-hanger, so thanks for sticking with me. On a different note: we’re approaching the finish line. Only 2 more chapters to go!
> 
> Music  
> Please, Please, Please – Slow Moving Millie  
> Rebellion – Arcade Fire

_“What do you want, Smaug?”_

Suppressing a shiver Bilbo crossed his arms over his chest, scrutinising the older thief. Something dark and ugly was starting to claw at his insides as he regarded the dark figure in front of him. At least he had been expecting a disaster. Admittedly he had prepared for something with a less dramatic scale, a major blow-up perhaps but not _this._

Why hadn’t it even crossed his mind that Smaug might have had his fingers in the heist? Especially after hearing Gandalf’s comment on the heist and the suggestion about his own involvement something should have tipped him off. It should have been obvious, how could he have become so careless?

Smaug’s presence put everything into a whole different life and Bilbo could feel that the situation was already spiralling out of his grasp. He was lacking background information and local support; after all he had tried to sever all ties to his former life. So many questions were rushing through his head at once that he had to close his eyes for a brief moment to regain composure.

It all came back to one question: why would Smaug seek him out?

“Is this how you greet an old friend, Bilbo?” The deep voice startled him out of his racing thoughts.

“Is that what we are? Old friends?” There was much more venom in his voice as he had intended. Once or twice he had actually thought about the eventuality of Smaug visiting him but never under such circumstances.

As it stood Smaug being here was hardly a coincidence and not knowing the reason behind his visit made Bilbo’s stomach ache with nervousness. Even if his former mentor and partner wasn’t directly involved in the theft of the Arkenstone, his presence wasn’t a good sign. After all it could only mean two things for Bilbo. Either Smaug had come to seek out his help or what was even worse, he’d come to _warn_ him. In both cases Bilbo’s first instinct was to run.

From past experiences Bilbo knew how dangerous Smaug could really be and that he’d need to be careful around him.

“No need to be so defensive, little Bilbo. I just want to talk to you. It’s been quite a while after all” Smaug chuckles mirthlessly and crept closer to Bilbo like a shadow. There had been a time when Bilbo had trusted the other man with his life but those times had passed. Right now Smaug posed as a potential threat and Bilbo longed for a strategically placed retreat.

“You’ve chosen a rather inconvenient time, so just tell me what you want” Soon Ori would begin to wonder why Bilbo was keeping him waiting; he was clearly running out of time. His tension was already starting to gnaw at him and left his nerves bare, making him feel vulnerable.

He had turned to walk away but Smaug was soon falling into step next to him. _Old habits die hard_ Bilbo thought grimly as Smaug grinned at him. “Civilian life doesn’t really agree with you. You don’t have any thrill left in you, do you? You’re all...domesticated” The older thief spat the last part seeming personally offended.

“What would you know about being domestic?” Bilbo bit back. “Just tell me what you want and then get lost again, please”

Smaug laughed but to Bilbo’s ears it sounded off and forced. “Can’t I just visit a good friend I haven’t seen in months? Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“That’s not how you usually do things. And I really have nothing to tell you” His thoughts were already circling around Frodo and he prayed to all the gods he didn’t belief in that Smaug would not come after the little boy. He wasn’t sure if Smaug already knew where he lived and hoped that the older thief had just tailed him today. Changing their direction discretely he decided that for now he’d lead Smaug around in circles not wanting to get closer to home. He’d apologise to Ori later for making him wait, but he couldn’t risk Frodo.

“Oh but Bilbo, there are so many things left that I need to tell _you._ ” Smaug answered, his pace still matching Bilbo’s strides as he followed the smaller man. “We could talk about your new job, or your inclination towards your boss. Or what about that little stray you’ve picked up a while ago? What’s his name again? Frodo.”

His head snapped up on its own accord to meet Smaug’s gaze. A second later he realised his mistake and he glared at the taller man as his cheeks burned with shame. He had been working with Smaug for such a long time, how could he have forgotten that Smaug loved nothing more than to rattle one’s cage? He had just handed Smaug a leverage on a silver platter.

“Enough! I don’t want to play games with you. What the hell do you want?” It took him every ounce of willpower not to shout.

“Picked a sore spot, have I?” Smaug retorted with a merciless glimmer in his eyes. “Well, to be honest, I don’t care about your little patchwork family, but I came with a fair warning”

Something heavy dropped into Bilbo’s stomach. _A warning_ was so much worse than he had hoped.

“A warning? What warning?”

“The Arkenstone. I want you out of my way”

“It’s already gone, isn’t it?” Bilbo asked with honest confusion. Why would Smaug warn him about a heist that had already been over?

His musing was met with a bark of laughter. “So it is true then? You’re not working on it as well? No consulting for De Gris or anyone? You’re really working for that guy? And here I was thinking my informant took the piss!” Smaug’s laugher sounded mean and nasty.

“What is it to you what I do and don’t do?” Bilbo bit back, not even trying to ban the irritation out of his voice.

“Since you’re not competition there’s no need for you to worry your pretty head over it. Consider us even. Just stay out of the way. It’s not completely dealt with and still in a delicate state and I can’t have you interfering right now. Keep your nose out of it, the whole affair is out of your league anyway”

This made Bilbo’s interest pipe up again. Maybe he could work out a deal or help Thorin after all. But why would Smaug tell him too keep away? Why was it so essential for the older thief if the deed had already been done. The realisation hit him all of a sudden. Could it be?

“You don’t have it yet! But it’s already gone and that means that you haven’t stolen it yourself”

Smaug grinned and wiggled his finger at him in a chastising manner for his nosiness. “In any case you’re wasted as a personal assistant”

“Don’t pretend that you know me. I might not fit in here but that doesn’t mean that I was better off with what I did before”

“You’re made for the shadows, Bilbo. Not for the world of sheep, no matter how hard you try to pretend otherwise” Glancing over at his former protégé Smaug huffed a laugh again.

Bilbo didn’t answer, he was still busy mulling over his latest insight. If the stone wasn’t already in Smaug’s possession there was still a small window of opportunity for him to get it back. It might not solve his issue with Thorin on the long run but it would stall it and give him more time to work out a proper solution.

“That’s pathetic. Do you think he can protect you? Or do you even think you could protect _him_?” Smaug growled, growing impatient with Bilbo’s silence.

His hands balled into fists on their own accord as he glared at the older man. He shouldn’t let it get to him, should know better, but every word from Smaug’s lips was like poison and pierced right through him.

Turning away satisfied Smaug took a quick look around. “Well, since you’ve led us in a circle I’ll be off now. Clever though. I guess I taught you something after all”

Bilbo deflated visibly and felt like his 8 year old self again, being caught red-handed by Smaug for yet another time.

“One last thing, Bilbo. Don’t get too attached. Never sits well with people like us”

“I’m nothing like you”

“If telling yourself that helps you falling asleep at night” He turned on his heels and waved a lazy goodbye over his shoulders before he vanished into the shadows of the next junction. Bilbo watched him disappear before he frantically fumbled his mobile out of his pocket.

//Let’s have lunch tomorrow – it’s urgent! - BB

//If it’s urgent, why not meet tonight? – GdG

//I’m needed at home, don’t ask, please – BB

//I’ll be expecting an answer tomorrow. I’ll see you at noon. – GdG

 

Gandalf was already sitting at his favourite table when Bilbo crossed the street and glanced through the broad window of the bistro. The little restaurant had always been a favourite of them since the time before Bilbo had become a personal assistant. Whenever the two of them had happened to be in London at the same time they’d met there to share a nice meal and to catch up.

When Bilbo approached him with a waiter in tow the old man looked up from the book he was reading and gave him a friendly smile. A gut-feeling told Gandalf that they were here to discuss business, and there would be time for pleasantries later.

The texts he had received yesterday night had spiked his interest and he had impatiently awaited their meeting. Bilbo took the seat opposite of him and smiled in return, well aware of Gandalf’s contained curiosity.

After the waiter had handed them both a menu he had left them to their own devices while both men pretended to be engrossed with the food selection.

“So” Gandalf’s blue eyes skimmed over his face, taking in his features. Whenever Gandalf gave him that look Bilbo couldn’t shake the feeling that the old man was reading his mind. During all those years they had known each other Bilbo had never been able to lie to him. Dear God, had he tried, but Gandalf had always been able to call him out on it and hadn’t taken any of his rubbish. It was as unnerving as it was irritating, especially when Bilbo had been younger.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries, shall we?” Bilbo answered rather brusquely as he put down his menu. Leaning back in his chair he watched the old man in front of him. He trusted Gandalf and he truly hoped that he’d be able to help.

Gandalf’s face split into a broad grin before he motioned for the waiter, indicating that they were ready to order.

“So eager. What’s on your mind, dear boy?”

Bilbo had already opened his mouth to start his explanation as a movement at the door caught his attention. Watching Bilbo suddenly freeze Gandalf followed the younger man’s gaze Gandalf had to suppress an irritated huff.

At the counter waiting for the maître d' were Dwanin and Thorin. Bilbo felt like screaming. “Shit” He mumbled, forgetting for a second that he wasn’t alone. Glimpsing over to the old man he saw Gandalf’s sour expression. Tearing his gaze away from Thorin he leaned over the table closer to Gandalf and started whispering.

Judging from Thorin’s stony expression they had been spotted but there were more pressing matters at hand. Wrestling down his escape reflex Bilbo concentrated on all the details he could remember from last night.

“Gandalf, this is urgent. Smaug is here!” Bilbo started, voice low and rushed as he summarised his encounter with Smaug. Gandalf listened to him with a grim expression on his face, bent forward to catch every of Bilbo’s words, gaze flitting between the two approaching men and the young thief in front of him.

While he was talking Bilbo was vaguely aware of the frown on Thorin’s face as he approached them. He already dreaded the moment they would reach the table, but he needed Gandalf to _know._

A few moments later the two business men came to a halt at their table, causing Gandalf and Bilbo to look up. Looking back and fro between Gandalf and his PA Thorin’s face grew steadily darker. “Does anyone of you care to explain _this?”_ He asked and motioned a hand between them.

Dwalin stood a step behind his boss and friend and tried to look discreet. This was already more than he had bargained for. Originally he had just tagged along Thorin to actually grab some lunch for once.

Leaning back in his chair Gandalf looked as comfortable in his skin as ever, whereas Bilbo was sitting at the edge of his chair ready to bolt at the smallest movement.

“You’re jumping at shadows, Thorin” Gandalf drawled as he reached for his glass of water. He might have sounded much more convincing if Bilbo wouldn’t look so guilty.

“Don’t you dare question my perception, Gandalf, you did that well enough yesterday” The CEO growled, voice dangerously low. Turning towards Bilbo he narrowed his eyes, suspicion radiating off of him.

“So, your CV states that you’ve never left Europe before you’ve started working for me. And yet, you’re sitting here having lunch with a man who is generally working overseas. Care to elaborate on that?” Thorin asked eyeing his PA.

When Bilbo met his gaze he looked terribly tired and a tad haunted. “I could ask you the same question, Thorin. Why do you need someone like Gandalf if something was stolen from you? You could have called the police just like normal people” The former thief answered with a calm voice, still struggling with his urge to disappear.

“You’re just making it worse, Bilbo. How do you know each other?” His hands were balled into fists and shaking at his side.

“Could we not make a scene out of this?” Bilbo sounded pleading as he slowly got up from his chair, Gandalf following his example. Taking a small step to the left he brought the table between Thorin and himself – just in case.

“I will not repeat myself another time! How the hell do you know Gandalf de Gris?” Gaze wandering between Gandalf and his PA he asked with venom in his voice and a mad glint in his eyes.

Putting a hand on Bilbo’s shoulder Gandalf straightened his back glaring down on Thorin. “With all due respect, Thorin, my acquaintance with Bilbo is none of your business. However I’m sure Bilbo will be more than happy to clarify certain matters if you’d asked him under better circumstances” He squeezed Bilbo’s shoulder lightly, ignoring the betrayed look the thief was shooting him.

 

“As you’ve taken on to speak for him you may take him with you when you leave, Gandalf.” Thorin spat as he glared at the old man.

Thorin’s cruelty jolted Bilbo out of his stupor, made him want to shout at the other man but Gandalf’s steady hand on his shoulder held him back.

Forcing a smile Gandalf pulled him with him as he started his retreat. “Very well, Thorin, I’ll take Bilbo back with me, but you should give him a chance to speak for himself. Good day” Nodding at Dwalin they left the restaurant.

As soon as they’d stepped out of the bistro Gandalf turned to Bilbo talking with urgency.

“If Smaug is around you need to keep your head down. Go home now and take care of yourself. Thorin will come around eventually, but if you’re planning on having him around for longer you owe him answers” He pulled Bilbo into a short but heartfelt hug. “I’ll help you sort this out but I need you to lay low for a while”

Giving Bilbo one last smile he made his way over to the main road to catch a cab. “I’ll be in touch!”

Bilbo merely nodded feeling too sick to talk. The last 10 minutes had passed in a rush and yet had changed so many things at once. Without sparing another glance at the restaurant he started to trot home, since he wasn’t welcome at the office any longer.

 

As soon as he got home he started working on Frodo’s dinner before he headed out again to pick up the boys from school.

Dumping the two brothers rather unceremoniously at Dis’ place he had ducked under the woman’s scrutinising gaze and dodged all her questions before he had taken off with Frodo again. After all Dis was Thorin’s sister and not his. He had no right to pull her on his side by nagging about his worries. She had been nothing but kind and helpful with him and Bilbo had no intention to repay her by pulling her into his mess.

Frodo didn’t mind his silence, filling the quiet with his noisy chatter. They had a lovely evening together, even if Bilbo wasn’t in the mood for much chitchat. At eight he brought Frodo to bed told him a bedtime story and waited until the boy was vast asleep.

Walking over into the kitchen he picked up his phone that had been lying on the counter only to be ignored by Bilbo.

/We need to talk! TO

Bilbo glimpsed at the screen of his phone and released a deep sigh. Without tipping out a reply he put it back down. A week. A measly week was all he got. He really wished he could be angry with Thorin, with Gandalf or even with Smaug, just for the hell of it, but the only feeling that kept resurfacing was self-loathing.

Sitting in the darkness of his new home, with a little boy asleep a few rooms over he tried to simply will away his past. This was by far the most inconvenient moment to have everything crashing down on him. There was no way that he could run with a child in tow, but he couldn’t be honest with the man he loved, either. _Between a rock and a hard place,_ his father’s voice kept whispering in his ears.

No matter how he’d twisted and turned it, there simply was no way around talking with Thorin. He’d needed at least to _try_ answering some of his questions. Maybe then they could part on even ground he wouldn’t need to uproot Frodo for a second time.

Picking up his phone again he tipped out a quick reply before he walked over into the kitchen. Best to get it over with as soon as possible.

Nudging the stepstool closer to the counter his heart twitched painfully in his chest. Just a few days ago Thorin and he had laughed about it. Thorin had made fun about him for needing a stepstool to reach certain things in his own kitchen.

He reached up and grabbed two goblets, putting them on the counter he crouched down and pulled out a random bottle of red. Merely skimming the tag he poured a generous amount in one of the glasses and took a deep sip from it.

From where he stood leaning against the counter he could see Thorin crossing the street and walked over to buzz the door open for him before the other man could ring the doorbell. When he tried to embrace and kiss Thorin at the door he was softly pushed aside and Thorin marched into his flat without so much as a hello.

Following Thorin back into the living room Bilbo tried his best to swallow down his irritation. Maybe there were unsaid things between them but Thorin’s rudeness was certainly uncalled for. With a frown on his face he entered the living room where the CEO had already sat down at the table. Grabbing his own and the spare wineglass from the counter Bilbo sat down across from Thorin.

For a few moments there was only silence between them while Thorin poured himself some wine and simply watched Bilbo.

“Tell me”

“Tell you what, Thorin?”

Apparently that was enough to push Thorin over the edge as his anger unleashed in a sudden burst of anger.

“Tell me all the things that you’ve been hiding since the first day! I’m sick of it! I’m sick of your secrecy and half-truths. You can take my word for it” He shouted, completely ignoring the fact that a little boy was vast asleep a few rooms over. His voice had a dangerous edge to it and the words hurt far more than he thought they would.

Having his glass in a death grip he glared at Bilbo, something close to hostility in his eyes.

“You promised it wouldn’t matter anymore. Well or at least you promised that you’d wait for me to give you answers” Bilbo said after a while as he carefully folded his arms over his chest, desperately trying to keep his voice calm and steady.

“That promise was made before I knew that you have information that you shouldn’t have”

“I’m not dangerous if that’s what you’re implying”

“Maybe not, but you are a liar!” Bilbo couldn’t help wincing when the words had left Thorin’s mouth. It was a low blow and they both knew that. “And since I don’t know anything about you, you are a liability, a weak link that I can’t tolerate. That makes you dangerous in my eyes”

There wasn’t much Bilbo could actually say to that, technically Thorin wasn’t even wrong. It still stung much more than it should. _That’s why people like me shouldn’t get attached._ Bilbo thought and took a gulp from his glass.

Neither of them would get out of this conversation unscathed, Bilbo was sure of it. Either way they’d get their fair share of wounds as both of them were in far too deep and at least for Bilbo it would mean leaving scars.

“What do you want me to say, Thorin? Does it even matter what I say, or have you already made up your mind? Would explaining actually make a difference to you?”

“You’ve betrayed my trust, how could I forgive that?”

“So declaring your love for me doesn’t mean anything after all?”

Thorin deflated visibly but only for a brief moment before he stroke back with vigour. “Yes, I did and do love you, but I don’t know who you are, if anything more than a pretty face. Have you any idea how frightening that is? The knowledge that you have is dangerous, not only for my family or myself but for you as well. It puts you in a crossline and I don’t know if that’s intentional or not.” He took a moment to collect himself and the look he gave Bilbo made his heart ache. Thorin Oakenshield looked heartbroken and raw, deprived of his armor of poise and confidence.

The next words from the CEO almost made Bilbo want to curl up and cry.

“I don’t know if you are real or not” They were barely a whisper, seeming so much softer after the shouting tirade and they stung at all the right places in Bilbo’s heart.

“I don’t want you to say anything, Bilbo. I want you to come in tomorrow, pick up your things and then I want you gone”

He picked himself up and made a beeline for the door. There was nothing left to say for either of them, Thorin had just said it all. Bilbo didn’t watch him leave, eyes fixed on his empty wineglass and silent tears running down his face. There could have been more, they should have been more, but now all he had left were the ashes of another burned life.

 

Little feet slowly tapped towards him as he was still sitting at the table, his head hidden in his palms. There had been quite a lot of shouting, of course they’d woken up Frodo.

“Bilbo, are you alright?” A small voice echoed through the room and Bilbo discretely wiped away his tears before he looked up and tried for a smile. He extended one arm towards the boy who took it and climbed onto his lap.

“It’s just grown-up problems, Frodo, nothing to worry about” The former thief cooed his voice still a bit raw from crying. Folding Frodo into an embrace a wave of gratitude and warmth washed over him. He counted himself lucky to have the little boy in his life; it made his pain more durable.

“You were really loud and there was so much shouting” The boy mumbled into the crook of his neck.

“I know. I’m sorry. See, sometimes grown-ups need to shout, because they don’t know any better and are afraid”

“But I thought you like each other very much”

“And you are right. I like Thorin very much, but that makes it even easier to shout at him?”

“Because you are afraid?”

“Yes. I want him to be safe and happy just as I want you to be safe and happy”

“That sounds complicated”

“I guess it is. Let’s get you back to bed, Frodo, it’s very late. How about another bedtime story?”

Getting up with the small boy on his arms he walked over to Frodo’s room and tucked them both in while he started telling a story his mother used to tell him, when he couldn’t sleep.

 

Later when he was lying in his own bed unable to fall asleep Bilbo came to at least one decision. It might not had been his fault this time that the blasted stone was taken but he’d do one last thing for Thorin just to honor the short but good time they had together. Come morning he’d try his utmost to get the Arkenstone back. After that he’d disappear out of Thorin’s life but at least he wanted to leave nothing behind undone.


	19. First as a tragedy, second as a farce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was one hell of a pause. I've written and rewritten that part and it's finally done.  
> I really hope that you'll enjoy it. Thanks for staying with me!
> 
>  
> 
> Music:
> 
> Seinabo Sey / Hard times  
> Hudson Taylor / Second Best

When it came down to it, Dwalin would describe himself as a man of simple tastes. After all there wasn’t that much he’d expected form life and what he wanted he liked to work hard for. In his brother’s eyes he was laid back and a player who simply drifted from one enjoyment to the next, but honestly that was only the surface. Contrary to Balin he had never had a grand plan, he was happy with his lifestyle as it was. One thing however, no matter how volatile he might was, was sacred for him. Family – plain and simple, there was nothing above it. Not much was left of his actual family and in his old bones he knew that he had been a fool for not letting more people into his heart while he had been younger.

And yet, what he lacked in family he had in friends. Not that there were plenty of them, but those he would call good friends where truly close to his heart. This was the reason why he hated seeing Thorin riled up like that. Watching his oldest friend stirred an archaic impulse in him, making him want to maim and fight for his friend and leader.

For the better part of an hour he had watched Thorin pacing in his office while Balin was phrasing and rephrasing their problem at hand. They were stuck, they were quite possibly fucked over sideways and worst of all, they were fully aware of it. He bit back a heartfelt groan and wished that swinging an axe would still be a valid option in negations.

“He’s taunting you no doubt. Dangling it in front of your nose to make you jump!”  
“We could just pay him...”  
“That wouldn’t change anything. What if he doesn’t hand it over? He could play Thorin for the rest of his life. I’m sure he has no intention to ever give it back!”

Those and others were the things that had been said back and forward between them in a great array of variations. There was no suitable way out of this stalemate and Thorin and his brother were wasting valuable time discussing something inevitable. His insides cramped and there was a sick feeling inside his stomach that caused him to bite the insides of his cheeks. Apparently this was how losing felt. _Must be even worse for Thorin_ , Dwalin thought as he walked over to pour him another drink.

Saying that Thorin was angry would be a massive understatement. He was fuming and felt an urgent need to punch something. Not for the first time in his live he cursed his impulsiveness. It wasn’t just the loss of the Arkenstone that had him riled up, but how he had treated Bilbo yesterday night as well. When was the last time he had truly felt something for someone who wasn’t part of his family? He couldn’t even remember and yet he had pushed the ginger away and out of his life.

The feeling of loss and defeat wasn’t exactly foreign to him. There had been dark times in his life before, but this time he doubted that Dis or his nephews would be able to call him back from the dark places in his mind. Bilbo had been able to reach him and had put up with his antics, but just a few hours ago he had made sure that this bridge was burned down for good.

He hardly listened to Balin’s ramblings and watched Dwalin pour himself another drink. More than anything he hoped that, however unlikely, a solution would stumble through his office door - just like it had when Bilbo had stumbled into his life all those months ago.

 

 

Bilbo was sitting on his kitchen counter watching Frodo doodle on a piece of paper on the living room floor, as his mobile chirped, alerting him of an incoming message. As per Thorin’s instructions he should have come in today to pick up his belongings but he hadn’t had the motivation or strength to face it yet. He’d rather watched Frodo be happy and content while he forged a plan about how he could help Thorin put everything right again.

He had managed a few hours of sleep before his brain had started lamenting about his lack of luck and stability in his life. _There is no use to fuss about ancient problems_ , Bilbo thought as he reached for his phone.

//I know where it is and where it’ll go tomorrow. You’ll only have tonight to retrieve it – GdG

The moment he read the text he wished he hadn’t. Glaring at the screen of his mobile he struggled to hold in all the curses that danced through his mind. Gandalf and his stupid bad news! Any message would have been better than that one! But of course the old man had to be the bearer of bad news. Tonight, which meant that he’d have only hours to plan and to act and even that was only possible if he could get Dis to look after Frodo.

No doubt, all was going to hell. While Bilbo was struggling with an internal breakdown Frodo was still doodling on his piece of paper, obviously unperturbed by the grown-up’s problems.

 

He indulged in a few minutes of self-pity before he got his wits back together again. Bilbo Baggins was no fool and now it was time to go on one last adventure. If it benefited the people he came to love, the better. Without further ado he walked over to snatch the little boy of the floor and announced that he’d have a slumber party with Kili and Fili tonight. Maybe sometime in the future Frodo would remember this night and would be able to detect the lie in Bilbo’s actions. It was too late now to find a better solution for the peculiar situation he was in. Lucky for Bilbo the five year old had been more than compliant and had ran off to stuff an overnight bag, leaving Bilbo alone with his self-loathing.

 

Frodo was bouncing up and down as they made their way over to Dis’ place. He probably should have called in advance but the meaning of Gandalf’s text had him on edge. A plan was already forming inside his mind and occupied most of his rational thoughts. Part of him was still torn between heartbreak and a desperate need to ensure Frodo’s wellbeing, while most of him struggled to find back to his old professional equilibrium.

 

 

“Look what the cat dragged in...” Dis greeted them with a soft smile on her face as she opened the door. Returning the smile Bilbo said “I need to call in a favour...” Before he had finished his sentence Frodo had already wormed his way through the grown-up’s legs and had vanished further into the house, already on the search for his two friends.

Dis watched him storm of, still smiling before she opened the door wider for Bilbo to come in. He followed her into the kitchen but when she turned around her smile had vanished and she had dropped the facade.

“What the hell is going on, Bilbo? Nobody talks to me about anything, but they all run around like headless chicken! I swear, I’m gonna – “The beautiful woman heaved a deep sigh and walked over to rummage through some cupboards, conveying her anger and agitation.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table Bilbo watched her mutilate her interior mulling over his options. There was no time for this even if Bilbo wished he could explain everything to Dis. Time was running out fast and trying to hold it was like trying to catch smoke. It idly slipped through his fingers. When she finally walked over to take a seat opposite of Bilbo he caught both her hands in his, squeezing them softly, hoping it would convey certainty he didn’t feel.

“Dis, I need you to take care of Frodo for the night. I can’t predict what’s going to happen, but I can’t help at all if I have to worry about him. I know that he’s safe with you”

“If you think I’d let you do something stupid and foolish for my damn brother you are extremely stupid!”

Bilbo smirked. He truly liked the fierce woman who protected the people dear to him like a proud lioness.

“Come on, Dis, give me some credit, I know what I’m doing. It’s just...I need to make this right and I really need your help right now.”

Dis looked at him, really looked at him and took in his features, scanning his face for any trace of lies and deceits. Whether she found any or not she didn’t call him on it, she just gave him a tired glance tinged with desperation. Suddenly Bilbo could see her, see the young girl that she was behind all her tough behaviour and business facade. Before him sat a sister who feared for brother and a mother in need to protect her family. However the moment was gone as fast as it had come and her face was put back into place when she snarled at him.

“Whatever it is you think you’ll have to do, I don’t care. You better be here in the morning to pick your little boy up or I will personally make your life a living hell, you know that, right?”

Bilbo suppressed a sigh of relieve. “Wouldn’t have it any other way” He answered truthfully and started to get up.

Dis pulled him into a tight embrace allowing a moment of gratitude and understanding to pass between them. “Whatever you do, Bilbo, be careful and ...come back” The woman whispered, her voice raspy and full of emotion.

“I’ll come back, I promise” The thief answered, desperately wishing that lying wouldn’t be so dreadfully easy.

As soon as the door closed behind him Bilbo made a sprint to his apartment. Gandalf had provided him with the address and his objective was clear. He briskly walked up the stairs to his flat finally more at easy than he hadn’t been for a long time. He picked up a few things and got changed into something more durable and darker. With a last lingering glance he locked the apartment and left on his mission.

 

 

Inching his way forward on a small balustrade on the facade of the complex he wished he would have never stopped his training. Clinging to a wall 40 meters above the ground without any safety gear wasn’t easy and Bilbo had to admit that he was a bit frightened for the first time in his life.

Only one more floor to go, he told himself as he hoisted himself up on a window sill grunting with effort as his upper body strength wasn’t what it used to be. This wasn’t Fort Knox and yet without hardly any planning or inside knowledge Bilbo was flying blind and anticipated the blow. He felt vulnerable, blind and stupid, fully aware of the fact that he had stumbled head first into something that was way bigger than him.

He glanced into the window checking if anyone would see him only to find an empty dark room. _Thank God for small favours_ , he thought as he pulled his remaining strength together and leaped upwards, fingers barely grazing the upper frame of the window. Muscle memory made his fingers clasp around the stone as he dangled in the air way to high above ground.

All thoughts about Frodo, Thorin or the life he had built for himself were banished from his mind as he clung to the wall. Forcing his arms into cooperation he heaved himself upwards, feet fumbling for an edge, a niche anything that would help supporting his weight.

Looking up most of the windows on the floor above were dimly lit, except for two on the far right end. Groaning he pushed himself onto the narrow balustrade just beneath the window line and edged right. Only months ago it would have been easier and much faster, but he had grown so very used to his cosy lifestyle and now he had to pay the price for his tardiness.

His breathing came out ragged as he finally unclasped the hinges of the window and pulled himself inside. At least he had managed to get inside without tripping the alarm or plunging down to his death.

He crossed the room as fast and silent as he could, opened the door to peak out slowly. The corridor was dimly lit and empty. Sneaking out of the room and down the corridor almost felt like dancing. He ducked from shadow to shadow, twisted, turned, blending in, and trying his best to avoid even the slightest sound. The lower floors and the entrance hall were both swarming with people, but here it was only a control room together with the office that held the safe he was looking for.

When he got close to the control room, he could hear the voices of at least three guards talking to each other. Luckily the door had been left ajar and gave Bilbo the opportunity to peek inside the room to assess the situation.

Two guards were sitting in front of a generous set of screens that showed the CCTV footage of the entire building complex. The other man he had heard was sitting at a desk next to the window nursing a cup of coffee.

No matter his age or his career, Bilbo had always abhorred violence. It wasn’t his lack of fighting skills or skinny built; he just deemed it unnecessary and avoidable. If he had had more time he would have come with a much more elegant exit strategy, but for tonight the fire alarm would do it. After all he was a thief, violence should never be part of his job, if he could do it right.

A few paces back down the hall he had spotted a manual trigger, so he sneaked back and pushed it. He ducked into the door closest to the alarm and waited for the blare of the alert and the footsteps of the guards to rush past him. As soon as he had counted three pairs of feet he snuck back out of the room and made his way over to the control room.

Bilbo took a brief moment to peek inside, making sure that all of the guards had actually left the room. Satisfied with the result he scurried inside and walked over to the computer station. Standing before the expensive state-of-the-art equipment and shook his head, trying to lose the clammy feeling that was trying to take over. Focus, he needed to focus on his task at hand.

It didn’t take him long to figure out what he had to do and soon he had removed the memory card from the CCTV recorder. Now there wouldn’t be any footage of him and it wouldn’t record anything further. It wasn’t a perfect solution and it wouldn’t hold up Smaug for long but the less evidence he left behind the better.

As he proceeded he wished for a fleeting second that he could have made a better plan or to abort his suicidal mission all together. He knew that it was too late to change back his mind, but he couldn’t help his wishing. At this point he could only finish what he had begun. Having his fingers burned was better than to witness how the lives of the people he cared about turned to ash.

When he finally found the room he was looking for he had to suppress a chuckle.

Of course it had to be a wall-safe of all the things. Now that bouncing it was out of the question his only option was to guess the combination. With a deep sigh he reached into his pocket, retrieving the stethoscope he had brought with him. The fact that the safe was a built-in was a major setback, something he would have planned for if there had been time. This would take long, probably longer than he’d actually had time but then again, success had never been a secure variable.

_//Smaug kneeled next to him and held out his stethoscope for him. “What? You want me to open it?” Bilbo whispered confusion clear in his voice._

_“I want you to learn!” Smaug whispered back pushing the stethoscope into Bilbo’s hands._

_“Couldn’t you have a better sense of propriety, just for once? There’s hardly enough time!”_

_Smaug glared at him and ushered him on. “Just do it already!”_

_Unwinding the stethoscope with trembling fingers he needed a second try before the earpieces finally stuck in place. The floor he was kneeling on was dirty and the room was somewhere in the dimly lit bowels of a bank. With them were three other men huddled together on the floor. All of them necessary for the heist, even if Bilbo couldn’t recall their full names, as he had never worked with them before. One of them was eyeing Smaug with suspicion as he followed their hushed discussion._

_“Stop fussing about and slow down your breathing” Smaug instructed, obviously unperturbed by the attention or Bilbo’s concerns._

_“There’s no ti-“ Bilbo tried again._

_“Slow down and concentrate on you breathing. Now!” His eyes were glistering fiercely in the twilight. As Bilbo looked into Smaug’s cold eyes he realized – not for the first time –that his mentor was as capricious as he was inscrutable. Teaching him a new skill in a moment like this was mad and a tad suicidal but that was exactly how Smaug was. He carefully fingered the stethoscope and tried to calm down his breathing._

_With the diaphragm pressed against the cold metal surface of the safe he half-heartedly started to turn the wheel, doubting that he would hear the tell-tale clicking noise over his ragged breathing. Straining his ears there suddenly was a faint clacking. He looked down on the numbers on the wheel in astonishment. “23!” He gasped out in surprise. With a smirk on his face Smaug handed him a piece of chalk ushering Bilbo to write the number down.//_

 

 

Putting in the earpieces he put his right hand on the wheel while he pressed the diaphragm on the cool metal of the safe. Focusing on his breathing he tried to clear his mind, shoving all thoughts into the corners of his mind and blending out all the other distracting noises. With a shaky breath he finally started to move the wheel listening closely for a faint clicking noise.

The fire alarm had died out some minutes ago and he was almost finished. And yet if the noises on the hallway were any indication that he was out of time, he would need to hurry up. Ignoring the fact that he obviously had been detected he searched for the last digit with numb fingers. And finally, with a louder click the bolt slid into place and he could finally open the blasted thing.

The steps on the hallway drew closer as Bilbo reached into the safe and checked each and every corner. There were some files and a velvet box containing the wicked stone in it. Apparently that was all he needed. He stuffed the folders and the box into his satchel before he slung it back over his shoulder, getting ready to leave.

Outside the room the voices and steps grew distinguishable what caused a rush of adrenaline to curse through Bilbo’s system. He made it across the room in record time and slipped out of the window before anyone could even enter the room. The roof was only two floors up, a distance he could easily manage even if he had originally planned to take the stairs.

Only moments later as he pulled his body over the edge of the roof he allowed himself a 5 second break to catch his breath before he pushed on. He would need to cross the complex of buildings to put some distance between himself and the crime scene, plus he needed the find a good spot for his descent.

The way across the roof was fairly uneventful until his phone suddenly rang. Bilbo was about to let himself down on a rope he had just secured on the roof as he felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and nudged it between his ear and shoulder while he started to let himself lower.

“Talking about bad timing...” He rasped his voice tight with exertion.

“That was very sloppy.” Smaug’s gruff voice said instead of a greeting.

Bilbo smirked. Having Smaug on the phone so soon after his theft couldn’t mean anything good.

“Hadn’t much time to plan it” He answered conversationally while he climbed lower step by step.

“Why are you jeopardising my operation?” His former partner sounded more threatening than ever and caused Bilbo to shiver.

“I had to, you made it personal”

“You must know that you can’t win this. You can’t beat me in my own game!” Smaug growled, furious with anger.

“It was never about winning” Grunting with effort Bilbo was praying for street level.

“Are you planning on talking me into reconsideration?” His voice was tinted with false sweetness but it actually made Bilbo bark out a laugh.

“No, I wouldn’t dream of it!”

“So why is it personal?” A brief pause. “Don’t tell me you actually like the guy.”

“Liking would be a vast understatement” After that there was silence on both sides, just interrupted by Bilbo’s ragged breathing.

Before the call finally disconnected Smaug spoke up again. “You’re really willing to sacrifice your freedom for those people? The police will know where to look for you the instant you leave the complex.”

“So you’re selling me out? There really is no honour among thieves, is there?”

“Did you think even for a second that you could steal from me and could get away with it?” The growl sounded almost animalistic and spurred Bilbo on to move even faster.

What had he expected? That their shared history would make Smaug go easy on him? He should have known better than hoping for a spark of compassion.

“It’s the right thing to do. I need to protect them.”

The response was a dark but melodic chuckle at the other end of the line. “You’ve grown soft, William. Giving up your freedom for something fickle as _love_.”

Sighing deeply Bilbo realised that he finally was close to the ground again. “I deserve to be locked up, as do you. So I guess this was just coming a long way. Good bye, Smaug. I sincerely hope that I’ll never see you again” Not waiting for a reply he hung up and pushed his phone back into his pocket before he let himself drop the last few feet.

As soon as Bilbo’s feet touched the ground he turned tail and ran as fast as he could. His was mind was racing, spinning ideas and strategies of how to proceed. There was one last call he had to make. With the stone and documents securely stowed away in his satchel he had two options. He could either get the things back to Thorin, ensure that they were safe and get caught and locked up. Or he could leave all of it behind, take the stone with him and disappear like he had done before. The later would jeopardise the lives of all the people he had grown fond of and cared for and burn down all bridges behind him. An easy decision, really.

Cursing his ambiguous sense of morality Bilbo turned the next corner, closing the distance between him and the office building. About a block away from his destination he scaled one of the houses that flanked the street, not willing to risk detection before he had finished his job.

Crossing over roofs and jumping over edges his body was aching all over as he finally let himself down from the roof onto the balcony that connected to Thorin’s office. It wasn’t the first time that Bilbo used this way of entering his boss’s office, but it was the first time someone actually saw him doing it.

Ori – the only one who was looking out of the window at that time – almost jumped out of his skin as he saw Bilbo hitting the ground. With a sheepish smile Bilbo knocked on the glass before Ori was even halfway across the room to let him in.

“What happened to you, you look like – “

“Hell, I know.” Bilbo cut in as he pushed past Ori to get inside. No time for small talk, he had a job to finish. The commotion had come to a halt during their brief interaction and the remaining three men in the office watched him dumbstruck.

Ignoring the other men for the time being he limped towards the desk, secretly wishing that he wouldn’t look as if he had just crawled through the sewer. Bilbo dropped the contents of his satchel sloppily on the table before he walked back to Ori and caught his arm in a dead grip.

“Ori, promise me, no matter what will happen tonight, you’ll take proper care of Frodo!” Bilbo whispered with urgency.   
“Bilbo, what-“  
“No! Promise me!”  
“Of course, I promised you weeks ago. We made a proper contract and I’m honoured to keep my promise and by the trust you place in me, but why? I mean, what happened to you? Bilbo, is that blood?”

“Never mind that. Thanks, Ori., really. Just...be better for Frodo than I ever was, yeah?” Bilbo finished lamely, as the adrenaline finally left his system. He released Ori’s arm from his grip and limped over to drop into one of the plush chairs by the window.

Three pairs of eyes had followed their interaction and yet the silence was persistent. Ori was still standing by the balcony door, watching Bilbo with confusion written all over his face. Dwalin was leaning heavily against a chair in the far corner of the room, downing a drink. His brother was standing next to Thorin and his gaze switched back and forth between Bilbo and the things the thief had just put on the table. And Thorin himself was standing there like a statue made of stone. He was watching Bilbo with an intensive gaze but didn’t say anything, not one muscle in his body was moving.

Finally freed from his stupor Balin rushed over to the desk to see what Bilbo had dropped there. Frowning he leaned over the table, examining the contents of Bilbo’s satchel. In his surprise he could only wave for Thorin and his brother to join him.

“Dear God, how did you get that?”

“You really don’t want to know, believe me!” Bilbo groaned his reply, feeling ready to fall asleep right where he sat.

Before anyone could add anything there was a knock on the door. Now it was on Thorin to frown, wondering who would dare to disturb them at this time of night. Warily he called them to come in. The small group of policemen and a detective who entered came as a surprise to everyone except Bilbo, who started to put the contents of his pockets onto a small side table next to his chair. It wouldn’t do to have a mobile of keys on him when they locked him up. Ori could hold onto his things for the time being.

The detective introduced himself as Bard Bowman, while his smart eyes were already busy scanning the room.

“We got an anonymous tip-off that we would find a Mr. William Baggins here.” The detective spoke to no one in particular, as his searching gaze came to a rest on Bilbo.

“And what kind of business do you hope to find with him here?” Thorin inquired before Bilbo could answer.

“Well, according to the hint we got, Mr. Baggins is supposed to be a prime suspect in a theft that occurred tonight. We’re here to take him in for questioning”

“You’ll need a warrant” Thorin hollered, as he moved slightly to his left as if to cover Bilbo.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but we don’t. I will take Mr. Baggins into custody and I can hold him for 24 hours if needed. There a questions that need to be answered” His eyes skimmed over Bilbo’s appearance for a fleeting second. “And Mr Baggins looks like he is the one who actually does have some answers”

Bilbo came to stand beside Thorin and put a hand softly on his arm. They shared a look and Bilbo smiled softly up at him. “It’s alright, I’ll go with them”

“Bilbo, no!” Thorin reached for the smaller man and caught his hands in his. “I won’t let that happen!”

“Get it sorted and then move on.” Bilbo stated hoping that the shaking in his voice wasn’t as prominent as it felt. He got on his tiptoes and planted a firm kiss on Thorin’s lips before he wriggled himself out of the taller man’s grasp.

He gave a last wave to Ori and left with the small group of policemen, not even once looking back.

 

 

When they finally arrived at the Yard it was too late for an interrogation, so he was put into investigative custody. (*)

He was handed an orange overall and a pair of shoes without laces. After he had changed into his newly assigned clothes his belongings were securely put into plastic bags, with his names and information on them and then were stowed away.

The holding cell was empty except for a cot, a basin and a loo. Bilbo released a deep sigh as he stepped over the threshold. The door was closed and securely locked behind him and then he was alone. Trying his best not to think about the last few hours he looked around while he walked over to the cot to sit down.

Pulling up his legs to rest his head on top of his knees fatigue finally came. There was no adrenalin left in his system anymore. He felt exhausted and terrified. While he had worked as a thief Bilbo had never thought or worried very much about the consequences of his job. There had been hardly any obstacles and stealing had come quite naturally to him.

Tonight was the first time he realised that he didn’t want to go to jail. Whatever tomorrow had in store for him, he should count himself lucky if he would only be sentenced for the theft he had committed tonight. Maybe Smaug wouldn’t destroy him completely, but not a very big part of Bilbo dared to hope for that.

It was ironic, really. The first time he hadn’t stolen for his own benefit would be his downfall. He wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to make himself even smaller. It wasn’t particularly cold or damp in the cell but Bilbo was freezing. _A natural reaction,_ his brain supplied but he chose to ignore it. Instead he reached for the blanket and wrapped himself up with it.

In this cell, he felt tiny, lonely and utterly useless. He couldn’t help but to remember all those lonely years after his parents had died and how he had struggled to survive on his own. Even after so many years he could remember how it had been, how small and abandoned he had felt.

As depressing at it was, he wouldn’t cry, Bilbo promised himself. He had made that decision and it was better for everyone if he was put behind bars and was forgotten. His little Frodo would stay safely with Ori. Of course it wasn’t ideal for the child and Bilbo loathed the idea of deracinating his fosterling but in all honesty he couldn’t imagine a better home for his little boy.

Hopefully Ori would be happy with Dwalin. Together they were able to provide for Frodo and give him a caring family and stability. Something Bilbo hadn’t managed to give him, but he had tried so very hard.

Inevitably his mind drifted to Thorin and caused his chest to ache. Thorin would move on with his life. He would stay clear of newspaper gossip and would sever all ties that had linked him to Bilbo. The CEO would forget the silly little man that had worked for him as a PA, while Bilbo would waste away in some godforsaken prison.

A sad smile crossed over his features. To be forgotten was definitely more painful than he had anticipated. In the privacy of his own mind he could finally admit, that he loved the dark haired man so much, it was almost too much to bear for his fickle little heart. All he could do now was to hope that Thorin wouldn’t hate him if he ever got to know the whole truth about his former assistant.

On the other hand, why would a man like Thorin even care about what happened to scum like him? Bilbo had played his part and had obviously outlived his usefulness. The whole Arkenstone business would be settled come morning and live would go on for everyone. Everyone except Bilbo, no, he would sit in his cell, stare out of his tiny window, wishing for a man with dark hair and blue eyes to come and save him.

A childish wish, really, Bilbo thought, if Thorin actually did care, he would have come to Bilbo’s aid hours ago, wouldn’t he?

Lost in his dark thoughts Bilbo finally drifted into sleep where he kept visiting everything he had left behind.

After a few hours of fitful sleep he was roused by a rustling at the door. With the rise of the sun a new day had begun and Justitia’s gears were turning again already. The investigation would start in all earnest now and he was to endure a hellish day of questions and interrogations.

When the door was opened already, there was no crabby police officer to greet him. In the doorway stood no other than Gandalf de Gris himself, beaming down at Bilbo.

“Good morning, my dear friend. I hope the night wasn’t too nightmarish as I anticipated”

“Gandalf!” Bilbo gasped out in greeting as he hastily got of his cot, his muscles screaming in protest and overexertion. “What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

Ignoring his questions Gandalf walked over to pull Bilbo into a tight hug. “You were very brave yesterday, I have to say, I’m very proud of you, my boy” Letting go of Bilbo he took a small step back and gestured towards the door.

“Come now, let’s get you out of here, there are people waiting for you, you know? And I for my part would love to have a good cup of tea before the day starts in earnest.”

Bilbo followed the old man out of the cell and into the hallway, unsure of how he should feel or what he should think. Gandalf remained silent until they reached the room where Bilbo had handed over his belongings in the night before. After a quick exchange between Gandalf and the officer on duty, Bilbo was handed some plastic bags and a toothbrush and was ushered into an adjoining bathroom. He didn’t bother to shower but he brushed his teeth and cleaned his face.

The clothes he’d gotten back were still dirty and covered in grime, but everything was better than to wear the stigmatising orange overall. Gandalf waited patiently for him to get dressed and sorted before he led them out of the police station.

There was a familiar SUV parked right in front of Scotland Yard and a small flame of hope sparked in Bilbo’s chest. One of the doors opened and Thorin climbed out of the car. He looked expressionless at Bilbo before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He opened the door of the car a little bit further and a small body stumbled out of it, an untidy mess of black curls on his head.

Frodo’s smile was as radiant as the sun as he ran towards Bilbo, little arms outstretched. The thief picked up the little boy and laughed. All traces of anxiety had left his system as he walked over to the waiting man with his precious burden. Thorin opened his arms and Bilbo, whose heart, was beating so loud that Thorin must be able to hear it, didn’t hesitate to fling himself into Thorin’s embrace. If Frodo was annoyed about being squished between the two he didn’t argue.

For a long moment Bilbo couldn’t do anything else than cling to the two magnificent persons in his life. He was engulfed in warmth and Thorin’s unique scent and pushed himself closer to the man. Bilbo felt Thorin’s chuckle more than he heard it – a low rumble in the depths of his broad chest.

“I’m sorry it took so long” He whispered in Bilbo’s ear.

The smaller man pulled away slightly, eyes wide in surprise. “What?”  
“I tried to get to you yesterday night, but they wouldn’t let me and Gandalf couldn’t do anything either.”He held Bilbo and Frodo a bit tighter. “I’m very sorry, Bilbo. For everything...”

“Well, I think I owe you an explanation.” Bilbo interjected softly. He listened to the low rumble again that was Thorin’s laughter.

“Yes, I guess some answers would be nice in due time. But now, we really should...” Thorin struggled to find the right words, struggled to put his feelings and right intentions into words. He pressed a soft kiss on Bilbo’s forehead and mumbled.  


“Let’s get home, Bilbo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) Honestly, I’m not familiar with the British jurisdiction...I do apologise for mistakes, they’re not intentional.


	20. 99 Problems - Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not truly satisfied with the bonus chapter, but I made you wait long enough and no matter what I tried, it wouldn’t get less angsty and Dwalin stayed a dick. For that I apologise…Well, I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway. 
> 
> Music:  
> Bloodsports – Raleigh Ritchie  
> Pretend – Seinabo Sey

_When we are young, we want nothing more than to grow up, but when we finally have reached a certain age, being young suddenly becomes appealing again._

Dori used to drone out this saying every other day, especially when Ori had come home riled up from the schoolyard. Whenever he had been in a right state, hissing about the unfairness of the universe or the childishness of his peers his brothers had been there for him. As a child he hadn’t understood what Dori had wanted to teach him back then. Today he could understand what Dori had meant and admitting to himself that his brother had been right again and again was almost as painful as the desperate wish to be young again.

Several weeks ago, when Dwalin had cornered him in his office he had told the older man that he wanted to be wooed and wooed he had been by Dwalin. There had been flowers, chocolates and other more ridiculous deliveries but even after the Christmas break and their shared skiing holiday, they hadn’t been on a single date together. Of course he knew why. Dwalin had told him himself, time and time again. _I don’t do relationships, cub…_

They might have appeared as a couple, Dwalin was fairly playing the part, it wasn’t real and not for the first time did Ori wonder whether this was just Dwalin’s way of letting him down easily. _I don’t do relationships, cub…_

In the past weeks those words had rung in his ears every other day – A constant reminder that the older man was apparently only humoring him. The tacky wooing was endearing at most, especially as doubts were gnawing at Ori’s conscience. The lack of commitment or encouragement actually left no shred of doubt that Dwalin would actually consider a deeper involvement with the lanky blond beyond letting him become another notch on his bedpost. It was starting to hurt him all over and he couldn’t help being angry with himself again. Back at the hospital he had been ready to leave it behind. Three years he had watched his boss and had hoped, had dreamed a possible life together.

Feeling like a foolish schoolboy he had confessed his love well knowing that Dwalin was a softy at heart. So he was obviously playing along Ori’s naïve notions about love, trying not to hurt the younger man, but never letting him any closer than before.

And then, out of the blue, Dwalin had actually asked him out on a date. His resolution had crumbled within seconds and he had agreed to accompany the older man to a restaurant that very evening. Ori groaned inwardly as he remembered the sheer disaster that should have been obvious to him, the very moment Dwalin had asked him out.

 

 

The evening had started off easily enough. Through the cab ride conversation had flown freely, however, the closer they had gotten to their destination it had become harder to come up with topics to discuss. On the way from the cab to their table they had hardly talked at all. As if in mutual agreement they had stayed clear off any _deeper_ topics after they had struggled through aperitifs in almost silence.

And from there it had gone downhill. So far they had talked about the weather, London traffic, the weather, business, the weather. It was horrible and with every minute that passed, Ori’s insides cringed more.

Just as their waiter had left them with their starters, Dwalin had picked up his interest in a proper conversation again and Ori wished he hadn’t. In Dwalin’s world, it was apparently not a taboo to talk about past flings and amorous escapades on a first date.

At the beginning he had tried. The rejection had burned through every fiber of his being but Ori had tried to resume a friendly – if totally inappropriate – conversation. His responses had reduced to ‘uh huh’s’ and nods, but he had tried, while he had screamed inside. At some point Dwalin must have had noticed his unresponsiveness and had stopped talking.

For a few moments both of them had moved their food around their plates in silence, to a point when it had become unbearable.

Clearing his voice Ori pushed his napkin away from him and got up from his chair, gripping the backrest for support. Glaring at the older man he started to speak. “I think I’m going to leave now. This is, for the lack of a better word, awkward and not very flattering for me. I don’t want to embarrass me or you any further by forcing either of us to sit through this.” Straightening his back he pushed the chair back and glanced tentatively at Dwalin who had watched him carefully. “Err…I’m…uh…I’m going to go now.” Ori finished lamely, before he turned on the spot, marching towards the exit.

Pinching the bridge of his nose the older man watched him with an unreadable look in his eyes but didn’t do anything to stop him. He was still sitting motionless on his seat when Ori rushed over to get his coat and left the restaurant. Tail between his legs and dignity terribly bruised.

Bursting through the door the cold London air hit him in the face, washing away the blush that had crept on his cheeks. The fresh air had a cleansing effect on his senses as he gulped it down with greedy breaths, still standing in front of the restaurant. His legs were not as steady as he wished them to be but it would have to do. Right now he just wanted to go home, maybe grab a few clothes, stuff them in a duffle bag and be off to see Nori and Dori. He could hide out at his brothers at their old family place over the weekend. There he could wallow in self-pity, finish some long overdue books and could forget about his well-tended crush.

It wasn’t as if Ori had actually expected much, but at least he had thought – hoped – that he would have deserved the same courtesies as his predecessors. He had known and watched the older man and his conquests for years and he knew that Dwalin was an able and charming conversationalist if he chose to be. Attentive and considerate, but tonight he had behaved like a mindless boar.

Taking yet another deep breath Ori started to feel a tad better. His vision was no longer blurry and his legs felt a bit steadier. He took a tentative step away from the restaurant, inching closer to the curbside. With a bit of luck he’d be able to catch a cab home before Dwalin would actually leave the building as well. Obviously he would need to go back to work on Monday, but until then he could hide out at his brother’s and lick his wounds.

What was wrong with him? Not only had he caused a scene, he had made an utter arse out of himself. Well, in all fairness, it had been a team performance and Dwalin had played his part perfectly.

Sighing deeply he raised his arm to catch the attention of an approaching but was promptly ignored. _Lucky bastard_ , Ori thought as the cab drove right past him, thinking of about Bilbo. Bilbo, who only needed to whistle through his fingers to catch a cab, who made it look effortless in contrast to rest of the mere mortals.

A few cabs later there was commotion behind him but he didn’t want to turn around. Didn’t want to look who had left the blasted restaurant. A small part of him, the one that always talked in Dori’s voice to him, reminded him that he had not only caused a scene but had left without paying as well. _Please, don’t be Dwalin_ he repeated over and over in his head.

“Ori?” Yeas, of course, why should the universe take pity on him? Suppressing the urge to groan he turned around, pointedly avoiding Dwalin’s eyes and fixed his gaze on the older man’s shoes instead. The brown leather of the brogues was beautifully decorated, however, not as flashy as Dwalin would usually wear. He nodded towards the shoes, indicating that he was listening to whatever his boss had to say, to add to their dreadful evening. _Just fire me already…_

“Ori, I need to apologize for my behavior. I am very sorry.” The odd quality of Dwalin’s voice made Ori’s head snap up, finally meeting the other man’s eyes. “What?” The blond asked, feeling a tad stupid.

Despite his usual demeanour, Dwalin wasn’t smiling or offering a cheeky remark. He was just standing there, with his coat draped over his arm, looking uncharacteristically serious and apologetic, stripped off his usual bravado. Ori swallowed thickly around a forming lump in his throat. “You’re sorry?”

“I am”

“Okay”

A moment of silence passed between them, broken only by a deep sigh from Dwalin, who truly looked his age for once. His face was drawn and lined with wrinkles. It should have made him look old, but to Ori it merely looked charming. Up to this moment it had never occurred to Ori that perhaps he wasn’t the only one feeling lost and overwhelmed.

“Walk with me?” Dwalin offered, sounding a bit wary before Ori nodded. He couldn’t catch a cab even if his life depended on it and being walked to the next bus station didn’t sound too bad even if his company was his horrid date of the evening.

Silence stretched between them, only to be broken by the occasional car rushing past them or the wind rustling in the trees. It should have been uncomfortable, but for Ori it was oddly soothing. The thought that maybe he wasn’t the only one out of his depth was quite comforting.

“Do you remember what I told you at the hospital, cub?” The older man finally broke the silence between them.

Ori stopped in his tracks watching Dwalin unease already creeping back in his system. “You told me that you didn’t do relationships”

“Yeah, that’s what I said. And I think tonight only confirmed it”

Enough! The anger that had subdued over the last half an hour since he had left the restaurant surged up within him again. “You’re bonkers! Honestly, how can you treat me like that? It’s upright cruel, pushing me away and pulling me close” He whispered irately. “You came after me just to tell me, that you are a bipolar twat and that you spent the past weeks humouring me?”

For a moment it seemed as if Dwalin wanted to object before he gave a stoic nod, holding Ori’s furious gaze. “I meant to let you down easy tonight and I failed miserably. For that I am sorry, but it’s for the better.”

Later when he had sat in the bus on his way home, Ori could only say that at least he hadn’t flipped Dwalin the finger when he had taken off.

 

 

Sighing deeply, Ori pushed himself out of his chair gathering some files. He would just nick into Dwalin’s office to deliver the pile of files before he’d clocked off. No unnecessary exchange of pleasantries, no easy banter. Pure professionalism.

With straight shoulders, he headed out of his office, trying to will down the fluttery feeling in his stomach.

 

The problem, the elephant in the room, between had been resolved since their truly dreadful date. It hadn’t been nice or pretty, but it had to be done. After all, wasn’t it better to make a painful break than to draw out the agony? He had had to make sure that the younger man wouldn’t pursue his crush any longer. Over the past weeks he had tried to work around his issues but found that he couldn’t work around them. So he had staged the spectacle at the restaurant and had talked himself into believing that he’d done the right thing.

At least that was what Dwalin had thought mere moments before Ori had stepped through the door of his office.

As soon as he glanced up from the papers littering his desk to greet his protégé, he regretted his decision. Standing in the doorway Ori looked every inch the smart, professional businessman Dwalin had helped him mold into.

In hindsight, Dwalin couldn’t tell what had finally flipped the switch. It might have been the animalistic part of his brain having a rather possessive streak at the sight of an all dressed up Ori. Or it might have been his resolutions crumbling. Whatever the reason had been, the moment their eyes locked, he knew that he wouldn’t come out of this.

The more he tried to tell him that it was purely physical and his forced celibacy urging on his libido, the more the more reasonable part of his brain told him to _shove it!_

The attraction had been mutual. However, Dwalin hadn’t lied about his inability to lead relationships. After all, his inner life was trimmed to function like a warrior should. His battlefields might have not been bloody, but not less cruel. After all Thorin paid him handsomely to tear the enemies of the company apart, even if it was on paper and not with a battle ax. In his world there simply could be no place for something as delicate as Ori.

Getting up from his chair and walking around his desk, his eyes never left Ori’s. No words passed between them, after their date, what was there left to say? Ori had every right to hate him; after all, he had worked hard to make it so.

As he approached Ori, the blond seemed to be rather at ease, his bravado only betrayed by his hands that were clutching hard at some files he was holding.

What seemed like ages could have only been mere seconds, when Ori cleared his throat.

“I’ve some files for you to look at”

“Close the door, will you?” Dwalin said simultaneously as he came to a halt in front of the younger man. For a moment, Ori glared at him, before he kicked the door shut. “What?” He snarled as soon as the door had clicked shut.

 

A second later they were clutching at each other, kissing with vigor, all teeth and tongue as they fought for dominance.

“Fuck…” Ori moaned into Dwalin’s mouth, meeting his tongue with his own while his fingers dug into the muscles of the older man’s back. Pulling back for air, Ori immediately latched his lips to Dwalin’s throat kissing and biting until a distinct bruise started to bloom just above the collar of his shirt. “Don’t you dare to back out now” The blond growled as he clung to Dwalin. The older man nodded before he pulled Ori back into another passionate kiss.

Letting their bodies press closer, their hands started to wander on their own accord. Much to Dwalin’s dismay there were way too many layers of clothing between them, so he started to peel Ori out of his jacket. Dropping it on the floor without much ado the tie soon followed before he started to work on the first buttons of the dress shirt.

As soon as he had pried the two first buttons open he let his fingers slid down from Ori’s neck, inching closer to his collar bones. Both men were already panting heavily when Ori in turn lifted one hand and started to loosen Dwalin’s tie. Caressing the fine bones Dwalin soon found that it was not enough skin to touch and hurried to pry the whole shirt off of Ori’s shoulders.

Letting his hands roam freely over Ori’s now exposed chest they found their way to his nipples. First he only teased them by circling slowly around them, causing goose bumps to spread over the delicate skin. Dwalin bent down to kiss the left one before he bit down on it lightly, causing another delicious shiver. While his mouth and tongue were occupied with one nipple, his hand played with the other, coaxing the most beautiful sounds out of the younger man.

One of Ori’s hands had found its way back to his shoulders and his finger dug deeply into the material of his shirt. When Dwalin glanced upwards to steal a peek at the younger man Ori was biting his lip hard to stop himself from panting. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were heavy lidded and lust filled.

Straightening up again he leaned forward to capture Ori’s lips once more. In this state, there was no sense of composure or propriety left in either of them so Dwalin simply walked them both over to his desk, breaking the kiss only to sweep the surface clean with one swift movement. This would have to do, due to the lack of a more appropriate surface in his office.

Panting heavily and with his eyes gleaming with anticipation, Ori leaned against the desk and toed off his shoes and socks. He must have had lost his belt somewhere between their walk over to the desk. His pants were peaking out of his opened trousers, as they dangled loosely from his hips. With a cheeky smirk playing on his lips he let his trousers drop down before he pulled himself onto the table. Looking rather wanton he beckoned Dwalin to step closer again. As Dwalin stepped closer Ori spread his legs further apart, giving the other man more room. Letting one of his hands rest on Ori’s slim hips they went for another kiss. Ori’s hands sneaked around his neck while he cradled the younger man’s head with his free hand, deepening the kiss and pulling him even closer.

While they kissed he raised Ori’s hips a little bit to get rid of the pair of pants that still clung to the younger man’s bottom. It seemed as if Ori hardly took notice of the loss of his last bit of clothing.

Breaking their kiss, Dwalin let his tongue sweep over the shell of Ori’s ear, nibbling at his earlobe and whispered “Help me undress, Ori”. The breath caught in his throat and the blond could merely nod as he began to undo the buttons of Dwalin’s shirt with trembling fingers.

He was just stripping out of the dress shirt when Ori’s hands had reached his belt. When his fingers brushed his erect cock through his trousers Dwalin bit out a throaty groan. This would need to proceed a tad quicker if he didn’t want to cum in his pants. He softly pushed Ori back to lie flatly on the desk before he sank down to his knees.

He spread Ori’s firm cheeks gently with his hands and pressed his face between them. Ori moaned deeply when he started to lick along his perineum. It didn’t take much to reduce the blond to a quivering, panting mess after he started to trail his tongue further down. Gasping in anticipation Ori grabbed the edges of the table even harder, clinging to it with dear life.

Teasing some more, Dwalin circled his tongue around the puckered hole without really touching it. His lips barely brushed the tight anal opening and his breath blew hot against Ori’s entrance. Without any warning he spread him wider and pushed his tongue in as far as it could go, causing the younger man to spasm and cry out in pleasure and surprise. While his tongue steadily worked in and out of Ori, the younger man moaned helplessly as he writhed under Dwalin’s preparations.

Letting go of Ori he gave his ankle a reassuring squeeze before he got up and walked over to one of his drawers. He rummaged through them for a moment until he found what he had been looking for. Pocketing the small bottle of lube he took a swig from the mouthwash before he walked back over to Ori. The other man had watched him while he had been searching but was now smiling up at him.

“Go on, please” He whispered. Dwalin nodded and pulled the small bottle from his pocket. When he came to a halt between Ori’s still spread legs he squeezed a generous dollop out of the bottle and coated his fingers with it. He pressed a quick kiss on Ori’s knee before he started to insert a single finger into the younger man’s loosened entrance.

For a few moments there was silence between them, only interrupted by an occasional groan from Ori. He continued to use only one finger, while he massaged Ori’s stiff cock with his other hand.

“You’re really tight, try to relax as much as you can” Dwalin mumbled working on Ori’s length with deliberate strokes. The only answer the blond could muster was a stuttered “Uh huh.”

For a moment Dwalin withdrew his finger before he finally returned with a second one, slowly opening him up with careful movements. He repeated the slow process until he had managed to insert four fingers and he deemed Ori sufficiently prepared. There would be no pain, not the slightest discomfort.

Not bothering with pulling his trousers and pants down all the way he simply pushed them down wide enough to free his erect cock. After he had lubed himself up he searched Ori’s gaze. The blond gave him an encouraging nod and that was good enough for him.

He positioned himself between Ori’s legs and entered him slowly, giving the young man enough time to relax and get used to the intrusion. Gasping wildly, Ori hooked his legs around Dwalin’s waist and started to push back. It wasn’t nearly as painful as he remembered it from earlier encounters with other men. Inch after inch Dwalin pressed into him until he was fully inside of Ori. For a moment he stilled before he withdrew his manhood almost completely, only to enter the blond once more, but this time with one quick movement, causing Ori to cry out.

As if on instinct Ori’s hands flew to his shoulders, clinging on. He leaned down to capture Ori’s lips in a passionate kiss, again giving him time to get used to the feeling of being full. As he withdrew from the kiss he placed his hands firmly on Ori’s hips and started to thrust. Soon they managed to find a rhythm, keeping up a steady pace. Any pain the younger man might have had felt at the beginning seemed to be replaced by trickles of pleasure as he began to move back against Dwalin.

It didn’t take long for Ori to cum the first time. Shaking, almost sobbing with the intensity of his orgasm, Ori’s whole body is wrapped around Dwalin. The young man’s legs still tight around his waist. His own cock was still buried inside the blond, but Dwalin didn’t move, giving the younger man time to recover. With Ori’s quiet moans and shaky intakes of breath it became increasingly harder to hold back, but he didn’t want to let it end quite so soon.

They shared a wet kiss through Ori’s panting, both of their bodies slick with sweat. Breaking the kiss Dwalin’s mouth travled down, tasting the sweat on the younger man’s skin. Licking and sucking his nipples, which were still achingly hard and very sensitive from the rough treatment at the beginning.

Ori groaned, closing his eyes and arching his back against the wood of the table, his whole body still tingling. As soon as Dwalin started to move again, in slow shallow thrusts he couldn’t stop the tirade of obscenities that flowed from his mouth. Every inch of his body burned and his nerve endings lit up like candles, leaving him a quivering over-stimulated mess.

The speed of Dwalin’s thrusts remained at a leisurely pace, but with a twist of his hips the angle of his thrusts changed. The first hit on his prostate caused Ori to cry out loud and made him see stars. “Oh God! Fuck!” were all the words he could manage to press out in a long wail. How he could be on the verge of orgasm again after such a short recovery time was beyond him.

After that it didn’t take both of them long to reach their climax – in Ori’s case a second time. Finally they collapsed in a sticky, tangled heap of shaking limbs, sodden with sweat. The shared a long and sweet kiss as they slowly regained the ability to think properly.

“Well” Ori started, when he finally was able to speak again. “Now I really need a shower”

 

Just a few hours later Ori witnessed how Bilbo crashed the window to Thorin’s office looking like Death himself, and being taken into custody by the police. _What a truly hellish day._

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably change/add some tags along the way..
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Taa~~


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